What Might Have Been
by kmj1989
Summary: November 1, 1981. The day Petunia Dursley, nee Evans, had her world turned upside down. With the death of her sister and brother-in-law, she is left as the guardian of her nephew. Her husband, Vernon, refuses to accept Harry, so Petunia packs up and leaves, taking Harry and her son, Dudley. This is the story of how she got to that point. But mostly, it's the story of two sisters.
1. Prologue

Prologue

A knock sounded at the door of Number Four, Privet Drive early on a cool autumn morning. The woman who lived there set down the bowl from which she was feeding her son and went to answer it, tightening the ties of her dressing gown as she went.

She opened the door, a faux pleasant smile pasted on her face. It quickly died, however, when she saw who was on the other side. "Professor," she gasped.

"Hello, Petunia," the older man said solemnly, the usual twinkle in his eyes missing completely. "May we come in?" he asked, gesturing to the small bundle in his arms.

"Oh, Harry," Petunia sobbed, taking the baby gently. "What happened, Sir?" She questioned the man, as she let him into the house and shut the world out.

The tall man didn't reply until they were both seated on the small, fashionable sofa. "I'm afraid the worst has happened, Petunia. Lord Voldemort paid the Potters a visit last night, on Black's word. James tried to hold him off, even without a wand, the brave boy. And then your sister did the same, giving her life for Harry's. I'm so sorry, Petunia. They are both gone."

Tears poured from Petunia's eyes, soaking her nephew's blanket. She clutched him closer as he began to wake.

"What is the meaning of this? Petunia, I thought we had agreed that none of your kind would visit the house. I don't want Dudley around those sorts," a wide man blustered as he came into the room.

"Vernon, Lily and James... they're gone, Vernon. My sister is gone!" Petunia sobbed.

"Well now, that's too bad," he attempted to soothe. "But really, that's what you get mucking about with those wizarding types."

"'Those wizarding types'." Petunia's voice was deadly quiet as she echoed him. "May I remind you that I am one of 'those wizarding types'? And that is my sister and her husband you are talking about. Not to mention that your son has magic, as well."

"Nonsense, Dudley is as ordinary as you or- well, as ordinary as I am," the fat man protested.

"You didn't see him making his bottle levitate to him the other day. Or turn his bath bubbles pink," she argued back. Her nephew's protesting cry stopped her short. "Vernon, if you want to stay, then please allow Professor Dumbledore to say his piece. Otherwise, breakfast will be a little late this morning."

Vernon was quiet for a moment, not used to his wife standing up to him, before stubbornly sitting in the armchair. Petunia then turned back to the older man. "Please continue, Sir."

"I have a request to make of you, Petunia, and you, as well, Vernon. Since his mother died to save Harry, there is a protection in his blood. And you are the only surviving member of Lily's family, as well as his godmother, so I felt with you was the best place for him. I can place additional protections upon him that will keep him safe as long as he lives with you, if you agree to keep him."

"Of course, but is You-Know-Who still after him?" Vernon started protesting, but Petunia's stern look quelled him.

"After Lord Voldemort... killed Lily, he tried to do the same to Harry. However, because she died to save her son, the curse rebounded upon him. But I doubt very much that he is gone permanently. I am afraid that he will come back for Harry sooner or later, which is why we need to protect him as much as we can."

"Of course, I'll do anything, whatever needs to be done to protect him." Petunia clutched the small boy to her chest fiercely.

"What about Dudley? You already have one son!" Vernon exploded. "And having Harvey near him would be risking his life. I will not have you putting our son in danger for the son of your good-for-nothing sister and her wastrel husband!"

In the blink of an eye, Petunia was up, wand clenched in the hand not holding Harry. "You will never speak of her that way again. And if you think I would ever put my son in harm's way, you are quite mistaken. I will do everything in my power to keep both boys safe."

"I won't let you keep Dudley with that misfit!" Vernon was bravely, or foolishly, still arguing with her. "I will not allow him to be raised with... with magic! You will not keep that boy!"

"I will keep Harry, and I will keep Dudley. It's quite up to you if you keep Dudley, and me," she replied evenly.

Vernon huffed sarcastically. "Of course I will keep you two. You are my wife. You belong with me. But the urchin will have to go."

"You obviously misunderstood my terms. If you want me to stay, Harry will stay, as well," she repeated, emphasizing her nephew's name.

"No, absolutely not! I will not raise someone else's child! Especially not one with such a dodgy past! No, he has to go!" Vernon's face was starting to get red from anger, and his voice raised, causing Harry to cry out.

In contrast, Petunia's voice stayed level. "Very well." She disappeared with a loud crack, then reappeared within a minute, this time carrying her son in the arm that wasn't already occupied with her nephew. "Say goodbye to Father, Dudley. You won't be seeing him for a while," she told her son, who hid his blond head in her neck at her words.

"You can't take him!" The words were screamed at her, but she stood there calmly. "I won't let you take him from me!" Vernon advanced toward his willowy wife, obviously intending to use his massive girth to intimidate her.

With another crack, Petunia and the boys disappeared. A fourth crack brought Petunia back, arms empty, except for the thin stick that was clenched in her hand. "You will not take my son from me," she hissed. "You've wanted nothing to do with him from the moment he was born, other than to have the attention he brings. You will never take him from me. We are leaving, and don't try to stop me. I am done with your bullying me, and belittling me. I will take my son and our things, and I will walk out that door."

Sparks were spitting out of her wand, which was dangerously close to her husband's face. In fact, the mustache he was so proud of was under threat of going up in flames. But neither was paying any attention to it. Instead, they were looking into each other's eyes, pale green glaring into beady blue. Vernon, after several tense moments, finally replied. "Fine, but don't touch a single thing of mine, or anything I gave you. Especially not Mother's crystal."

"Like I would want those hideous glasses," she laughed scoffingly. "I only took them to be polite."

He huffed, clearly put out, then decided upon, "Fine. You have ten minutes to be gone from here."

"I only need five. I am a witch, after all," was Petunia's smirking response. "Oh, and you can get your own bloody breakfast."

The man stomped out of the room toward the kitchen. "Well done, Petunia," came the soft applause from behind her.

"Oh, Professor, I nearly forgot you were there. I'm terribly sorry you had to witness that," she said, rather embarrassed.

"I'm not," he replied, smiling kindly. "And I feel confident that Lily is proud of you. It's clear where she got her fire from."

A watery laugh escaped of its own accord, quite without permission. "Thank you, Sir. I'm not sure that's true, but thank you, all the same."

"I never lie," he said, the smallest twinkle coming back into his eyes. "Would you like some assistance in packing?"

"If you could keep an eye on the boys, I should manage the packing," Petunia requested. At his nod of acquiescence, she continued. "They are in the second bedroom on the right of the landing. Thank you ever so much."

"It is my pleasure, I assure you, Petunia."

Petunia's guess of five minutes to pack proved quite accurate. Using her wand for the first time in what seemed like forever made quick work of what would have otherwise been hours. Her suitcase was packed, as well as Dudley's, and shrunk to fit in her pocket. Upstairs, in the bedroom she had shared with Vernon for three long years, she slipped the huge ring off her slender finger and put it on the dresser, where he was sure to find it. Then, she made her way to the nursery, where she found the most revered wizard entertaining two small children by making stuffed animals dance.

Dudley saw her then. "Mummy," he squealed happily.

"Are you all set, Petunia?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Yes, thank you, Sir."

She quickly gathered both boys in her arms, awkwardly maneuvering their different weights. "Where will you go?" the older man asked.

"Mum left the house to us, to Lily and me," she began explaining. "Neither of us could bear to sell it, so it's just been gathering dust. It's as good a place as any," she added with a rueful grin.

"If you could bear my company for a while longer, I could help you get the boys there, at the very least," Dumbledore offered with a self-deprecating smile.

Now that her adrenaline had settled a bit from her fight with Vernon, Petunia had to admit it probably wasn't the wisest idea to Apparate with both boys, since she wasn't used to carrying more than one. And hadn't Apparated regularly in quite a while. She didn't want to splinch anyone, after all. "That would be lovely," she told him, feeling a little relieved. "The address is- unless you still remember where it is?"

"Of course. I very clearly remember you charming home."

"Very well, then. Shall we go?"

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to Vernon?" The question was soft, but weighty.

Petunia let out a little sigh. "I should. I don't want to, but I should."

"Harry and I will be waiting for you by the front door," he said, taking the smaller boy from her.

She huffed again, but headed downstairs, nonetheless. Upon her arrival in the kitchen, Vernon looked up from the mess he had made frying eggs. "You're still here, are you?" he asked nastily.

"Not for much longer. I just thought you might like a chance to say goodbye to your son." Then, without waiting for his response, she told Dudley, "Say goodbye to Father."

Once again, he buried his head in her neck, refusing to look at his father. "Go on, darling, say goodbye to him," she coaxed gently.

"Won't!" came the reply from the toddler.

"It doesn't matter," Vernon said brusquely. "It's clear that nothing good will come of him, anyway. He's just like his mother."

Too angry to reply, Petunia simply turned on her heel and walked to the front door. "I'm ready, Sir," she told Dumbledore.

The man had clearly heard the previous interaction, as his face was far too sympathetic, otherwise. "Let's be off."

Both adults spun on their heels, cradling the children. The small, cheerful, if rather dusty, living room they appeared in seemed to release a sigh, as if happy to have people in it once more. Pictures littered the walls, and nearly every horizontal surface as well, of two girls, one redheaded, the other blonde. As the girls in the pictures grew, their clothing changed, as well. They went from jumpers, jeans, and skirts, to robes. Several of the newer ones even moved. "I see this room hasn't changed much," Dumbledore said, looking around.

"No," Petunia laughed softly. "When Mum died,... Lily and I couldn't change anything, so we simply locked the door. Put a few spells on it, of course, to keep any unsavory types out." She shifted Dudley on her hip, looking for a clean place to put him down. Not finding any, she sighed. "I guess I need to clean before anything else."

"Allow me to help, please, Petunia." Dumbledore didn't wait for her permission before waving his wand. A pleasant breeze swept through the room, taking any speck of dust with it. She could tell it went throughout the house, before exiting out the back windows.

"There, now we can at least walk through without an assault on our sinuses," Dumbledore said cheerfully.

He stayed for a while longer, disappearing for a few moments, before reappearing with breakfast for the four of them. He also placed the enchantments on little Harry, just like he'd said. And just when Petunia felt she couldn't be the polite hostess she had been raised to always be for one moment longer, he stood up. "Well, Petunia, I will invade your home no longer. But should you need anything, never hesitate to contact me. I am simply an owl away."

"Thank you, Sir, for everything. I appreciate everything you've done for me, for us."

"Would you like me to add a few more wards to the house before I go?"

"Anything to help Harry," she said, relieved.

"Alright, then. I shall see myself out and do those wards right away. Goodbye, Petunia."

She watched as he walked towards the door, then turned to the two children in front of her at the sound of the door shutting. "Well, my darlings, it's just us three now."

"Mummy," Dudley replied firmly.

"Mu-mah," Harry repeated, echoing his older cousin.

"No, darling, I'm Auntie Petunia. I know it's been awhile since we've seen you, but you remember me, don't you?" She was very close to tears as she said this, looking into those emerald eyes that were so much like her sister's.

"Ah-ie Pet," Harry said dutifully.

"Yes," she laughed wetly. "Auntie Pet."

"Ah-ie Pet, wan Mu-mah," he whimpered.

"Oh, Harry, I want your Mummy, too," she whispered, as the barrier broke. She'd been so strong all morning, getting everything done, being the perfect hostess; she hadn't allowed herself the time to really feel what had happened. But now, she couldn't push it away any longer. Tears streamed down her face, clouding the boys' faces in her view.

"Mummy?" Dudley questioned, sounding very worried.

"Oh, my boys," she whispered, pulling them both into her arms.

Surprisingly, both boys allowed her to simply hold them, and their presence was strangely comforting to her. After some time spent crying, Petunia pulled herself together. "Boys," she started shakily. "Would you like me to tell you a story?"

Dudley cheered, and after a beat, Harry followed along, once again copying the older boy. Petunia laughed, sniffed, and began. "Once upon a time, there lived two little girls. One had beautiful, long red hair, and the other had thick, blonde curls. If you casually looked at them, you would not see any resemblance between the two. But if you looked closely, you would see similarities; the way they both cocked their heads to the left when deeply thinking, the way they both laughed easily and loudly, the way their eyes shined when they were completely, utterly happy. These things mattered, for you see, the two girls were sisters. More importantly, they were the best of friends…"

 **AN: I just changed a tiny bit, making it so that Mrs. Evans gave them the house. There will be a few more changes in the next two chapters, as well, but nothing major. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

We were playing fairies again, making our little wings flitter as we skipped around the attic playroom. It was my turn to be the bad fairy, so I had pitched my voice to a cackle. "You will never get the stone! It is mine forever! Ahahahahahaha!"

"Girls!" At our dad's voice, we instantly froze, waiting to see if we were in trouble. Lily looked at me, a little worried, but I gave her a smile and nod. She relaxed, then Daddy continued. "Come downstairs. We have a visitor who would like to speak with you both."

Again, Lily shot me a look, this time questioning. I shrugged, then headed for the stairs. I was halfway down, with her on my heels, before I remembered the wings on my back. It was a struggle, but I managed to take them off while still going down the narrow stairs.

We still had one more flight of stairs to go before getting to the living room, where Daddy was surely waiting with the mysterious visitor. I helped Lily with her wings, since she had somehow managed to tangle them dreadfully, before we started down again. "Who do you think it is, Tuney?" she asked, wriggling in excitement almost too much for me to get the wings off.

"I don't know, Lils," I replied with a grin. "The only way to know is to go find out. Race you!"

I let her have a head start before pounding down the stairs after her. Her squeals of delight made the following reprimand worth it.

"Petunia, you know Mummy doesn't like you girls to run in the house," Daddy scolded gently. "What if one of you were to fall?"

"We would just bounce, like I did last time, Daddy," Lily answered innocently.

A deep laugh startled all of us, reminding us that we were not alone. Rising from the sofa was an old man with long silvery hair and matching beard, wearing a suit of electric blue velvet that matched his eyes exactly. Lily, never one to be shy of strangers, spoke first. "Who are you, Sir?" she asked politely, sounding very grown up for someone who was dragging fairy wings on the ground behind her and had a flower wreath laying crookedly over one ear.

"My name is Professor Dumbledore, and I've come to speak to you and your sister," he answered, coming to shake hands with us.

"What kind of a school do you teach at, Sir?" Once again, it was Lily who was brave enough to ask the question on both our minds.

Dumbledore smiled. "I teach at a school called Hogwarts. It's terribly far from here."

"How did you get the girls' names?" This was the first sound Mummy had made, but that didn't surprise me. She tended to be quiet, choosing to observe before giving her input, just like me. "We never applied to this... Hogwarts, you said? In fact, Petunia is set to go to my old school, Ashford's, in a few months."

"Your girls are very special, Mrs. Evans. This may come as a shock to you, but magic exists, and your girls both have it." The professor's announcement left us all in stunned silence. Except for Lily.

"I knew it!" she cried. "I knew magic was real!"

"I'm sorry, did you just say that magic is real?" Daddy's voice had laughter in it, like he was trying to be polite and not make fun of the man.

"How else could you explain that?" The old man seemed to have the same problem as Daddy, withholding laughter at the other. He pointed at our fake wings, the ones that Lily and I had both forgotten we'd been holding. I looked, and nearly dropped them. They were fluttering again, without me even meaning to make them do it. "We really are magic, Tuney!" Lily squealed, throwing her arms around me.

As we girls danced around, Mummy said softly, "This explains so much. I always knew my girls were special."

Professor Dumbledore stayed a while longer, explaining more about the school. "Now, Petunia can start in the fall, but Lily will have to wait another two years to start. One must be eleven before starting," he told us.

"That's no fair," she pouted.

But I knew how to get her out of her funk. "Just think, you'll have Mummy and Daddy all to yourself for two whole years."

Mummy and Daddy arranged with Professor Dumbledore to meet in London the following week so we could get my school supplies. "And just to make it official, here is your letter, Miss Petunia. We send letters every year to all of the students, giving them school lists and such, but since you are what we call Muggleborn," Lily and I stifled a giggle at the word, and he smiled at us, "you got special treatment this time. From now on, your letters will come the regular way."

"Wizards use mailboxes?" Lily's curiosity knew no bounds. I was just as curious, though, and so was very glad she asked.

"Oh, sorry, the regular way for wizards," the professor corrected. "By owl."

"You use an owl? To carry your mail?" For once, my curiosity got the better of me.

"We do, indeed. You will find that the wizarding world is full of new and fascinating things. Well, I must be off. But I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday. Remember, The Leaky Cauldron."

Daddy saw him out, then, once he returned to us, grinned. "Well, my girls, it seems that you have outdone yourselves. Magic!" At that, he scooped us both up, swinging us around.

"I suppose Hogwarts will be as good a replacement as could be hoped for Ashford's," Mummy added teasingly.

...

The next Tuesday found us all packed in our little car on the road to London. It wasn't a long drive, but my excitement, not to mention Lily's, made it seem to drag. "I wonder what magic shops look like," she speculated. "And how do normal people not see them?"

"We will just have to wait and see, poppet," Daddy replied patiently, just like he had for the past five days.

"Will we see fairies, Tuney, do you think?" Lily's mind was already on her next question, not minding the admonition to wait.

"I hope so," I confessed quietly, meant for her ears only. "They would be so lovely, if they were real."

Finally, we started to see the outskirts of London. Daddy followed Professor Dumbledore's instructions, parking in front of a shiny new record store. "Well, this is where he said to park, but I don't see the pub he mentioned. The Leaky Cauldron, wasn't it?" His puzzled tone matched the look on his face, as well as Mummy's.

"Don't you see it, Daddy?" Lily, once again, asked the question on my mind. There it was, plain as day in front of us. It looked a bit shabby, next to the record store anyhow, but clean. But then I noticed that the other people around us seemed not to notice it, either, their eyes going from the record shop to the dress shop on the other side of the pub.

"It must be magic," I gasped in delight. "That way normal people wouldn't see it!"

"You see, Daddy, Mummy, it's just there, next to the record shop," Lily pointed out.

"Oh, now I see it," Mummy said suddenly. "How could I have missed it?"

"Magic, indeed," Daddy agreed. "I would have sworn that it hadn't been there just a moment ago, but now it's as plain as the nose on my Tunia's face," he added, teasingly tweaking my nose.

"Well, we should go in," Mummy told us. "It wouldn't do to keep the professor waiting for us, especially since he is being so generous to show us around."

Our little family headed into the pub, each of us girls clinging to a parent's hand, Lily in excitement, me with a mix of anticipation and trepidation. "Hello, new Hogwarts student?" The barkeep, who had been waving his wand and making rubbish disappear as we walked in, paused and smiled at us, at me in particular.

"Um, yes," I nearly stuttered out.

"We're looking for Professor Dumbledore," Daddy added. "He's meant to show us around."

"Good man, Dumbledore," the barkeep replied. "If you happen to be the Evanses, then he Flooed me not a moment ago to have me tell you he's been held up at the school. He's terribly sorry, but he shouldn't be more than twenty more minutes or so. In the meantime, would you like something to eat? I'm sure your lovely girls must be hungry."

"Oh, I'm ever so hungry," Lily agreed.

The adults laughed. "A table for four then, please, sir," Daddy requested.

"This way, then." The barkeep led us to a table with a smile. "If I may offer a suggestion for a drink, I do have an excellent butterbeer. I think you would all like it."

"Sounds yummy!" Lily squealed.

"I think we'll have a round of it, then," Mummy laughed.

It ended up being more than half an hour before Professor Dumbledore arrived at The Leaky Cauldron. But we didn't mind. "I am terribly sorry," he said again, as Mummy passed the bread basket to him.

"It's quite alright," Daddy assured. "We've been having a wonderful lunch. Isn't that right, my girls?"

"Butterbeer is yummy," Lily agreed.

"And Mr. Tom makes the best cucumber sandwiches," I added.

"Still, it was terribly rude of me. The school governors called a meeting this morning, and it went quite later than I anticipated. However, I am at your service for the rest of the day."

Once we were all done eating, Daddy tried paying Tom the barkeep with several pound notes, which confused him for a moment. "Oh, you haven't been to Gringott's yet," he eventually laughed. "That's alright. I've got some Muggle money around here somewhere."

Professor Dumbledore helped him get the change for Daddy, then he led us through the pub out to the alley behind. He tapped the wall with his wand, then stepped back. "I would like to welcome you all to Diagon Alley."

...

The rest of the day went by in a blur. We went in more shops than I could remember, and everywhere I looked, something fantastic seemed to lurk. But my very favorite shop was Ollivander's, where I got my wand. "It's so beautiful," Lily breathed, looking at it as we finished dinner, once again at The Leaky Cauldron. "What kind of wood is it again, Tuney?"

"Rosewood," I replied, for the ninth time since I'd gotten it. "With a unicorn tail hair," I added, preemptively answering her next question.

"It's so pretty," she said again. "I wonder what mine will look like."

"I'm sure it will be just as lovely, Lily. After all, my girls are lovely, so why shouldn't their wands match them?" Daddy teased.

Professor Dumbledore smiled. "Well, before we part, is there anything else I can do for the Evans family? Any question or concern about the school, perhaps?"

"You said something about houses," I ventured shyly, at last asking the question that had been on my mind since he'd mentioned it the week before. "How do we know which house we belong in?"

"There is a Sorting Ceremony once everyone gets to the school," he started. "The Sorting Hat is placed on each student's head, and it determines where each person is best suited. The four Houses are Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin, and Hufflepuff, and each House values different traits. For example, Ravenclaws tend to be studious, and Slytherins are quite ambitious. Gryffindors are rather bold and brave, while Hufflepuffs are hardworking and friendly."

"Well, you just described our girls there at the end, with Griffen- Griffin- Gryfflepuffs and Huffledors?" Daddy tried.

Professor Dumbledore let out a little chuckle. "Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs," he corrected kindly.

"Yes, them," Daddy agreed. "My Lily is brave and bold, while Tunia is hardworking and friendly. Now, you don't even have to be Sorted," he added with a teasing smile.

"They are both quite clever and studious, as well," Mummy pointed out.

"True, maybe we might need the Hat after all," Daddy agreed.

…

Over the next few weeks, time seemed to alternately crawl to a stop and fly by. Whenever I thought about going to Hogwarts and all that I would learn there, the clock seemed like it was frozen in place, or at times, even to be going backwards. But dread of leaving my family made time speed faster and faster. At last, and all at once, it was August 31, the night before I was to leave for school.

"I don't want you to go, Tuney," Lily whispered, crawling into my bed next to me. "At least, not without me."

"It won't be long before it's Christmas, Lils, and I'll be home again," I promised. "And we have Morgana now to take letters back and forth," I added, referring to our new owl.

"I know, but it's not the same," she sniffled. "You won't be here to play with, and who will look after Mummy on her bad days?"

"It'll be up to you. You have to be a big girl now and help Mummy. I need you to do it for me, Lils. Can you do it?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes. But are you sure you can't wait until I can go, too?"

"I'm sure," I told her. Then, I thought of something. "You know when we played knights, and you were always the scout? Well, it's my turn to be the scout now. I have to make sure it's safe for you, this time."

"Okay," she sniffled. "But I'll miss you lots."

I held back the tears until Lily's soft snuffles told me she was asleep. Then, I let out a few. Or perhaps quite a few.

The next morning was a chaotic scramble to make sure I had everything, before piling into the car and once again heading into London. Professor Dumbledore had told us how to get onto the platform, after Daddy had pressed him to make sure he wasn't joking. So, once Daddy had gotten a trolley for my trunk and Morgana's cage, we made our way to Platform 9 ¾. "We are rather early," he said ruefully, looking around at the sparsely populated area.

"No matter," Mummy assured. "This way we can get Tunia's trunk on without too much hassle."

Daddy carried the trunk, and I carried Morgana, into an empty compartment, before exiting again. We chatted, as we watched the platform, and train, slowly fill up. At two minutes to eleven, I was smothered with one final familial hug and chivvied on to the train. I hung out of the window, waving, wanting to see them for as long as I could. Lily laughed and chased after the train, until it picked up speed and left her in a cloud of steam. I kept waving, long after the train had left the station.

"Would you mind if we joined you?" a voice said, startling me from my sad musings.

I turned to see two girls standing in the doorway of my compartment. One was tall and had long dark hair, while the other was tiny, tinier than Lily, and had short, frizzy brown hair. "Everywhere else is full," the tiny girl added, making it clear she'd been the one to speak.

"Um, no, please, sit," I said, forcing myself to sound cheerful. After all, I wasn't going to make any friends by being a Moaning Minnie.

"Oh, good," the tall girl said. "You must be a first year, too, since you're all by yourself."

"Yeah, yeah, I am."

"Good, now we all know at least two other people," the tall girl laughed. "Or, at least we would, if we knew each other's names. I'm Marlene McKinnon."

"I'm Charlotte Brimhall," the tiny girl replied.

"And I'm Petunia Evans," I added, finishing off our trio.

"So what House are you angling for?" Charlotte asked. It was rather clear that she wasn't shy.

"I dunno, I've got family that's been in every House, so I don't really care," Marlene replied.

"You have lots of family who have magic?" I didn't know, until that moment, that it was even possible.

"Of course!" she laughed. "All of my family have magic, for as long as anyone can remember. We're one of the oldest Pureblood- Wait, are you Muggleborn?" She suddenly had an interested look in her eye.

"Yes, I only found out about magic when Professor Dumbledore came to our house a month or so ago," I replied, excited that I knew what Muggleborn meant.

"That's so fascinating!" she squealed. "I've never met someone who's Muggleborn! You have to tell me all about the Muggle world!"

It turned out that Charlotte was half-and-half, as she put it, half-Muggle, half-Wizard, so the three of us spent the entire train ride comparing the worlds we'd been a part of. "I've decided," Charlotte stated, as she noisily chewed half a Chocolate Frog she'd bought from the nice trolley witch earlier. "I don't care what House I'm in, as long as it's got you two in it."

"So we'll protest if they try to put us in different Houses?" Marlene asked, giggling.

"Exactly!" Charlotte laughed. "Excuse me, but you simply can't put me in that House. Not without my friends, at least."

"Marlene, we're nearly to the castle, you'd better change into your robes," a handsome older student said, poking his head into our compartment.

"Thanks, Ollie," she mumbled, over Charlotte and me giggling.

He simply grinned, waved, and walked out. "Who was that, Marlene? You have to introduce us next time," Charlotte demanded.

"That's simply my brother Oliver," she muttered. "And I don't understand why perfectly sensible girls turn into twittering fools around him."

"That's because he's your brother," I told her. "If you saw him like we did, you would understand."

A giant of a man was waiting for first years once the train stopped in the Hogsmeade station. "Firs' years, this way," he called, leading us to a little fleet of boats. "No more th'n four to a boat," he instructed, seeing us all safely boarded. Then, at his command, all of the little boats started skimming their way across the lake. "And there she is, Hogwarts castle, hersel'," he called after a moment.

All I could hear was "oooo" as nearly every student was in awe. The castle was silhouetted against the full harvest moon, and every window seemed to be lit. It seemed to be the exact castle Lily and I had imagined every time we'd played knights, or princesses, or fairies. It was quite literally something from my dreams.

A stern looking witch met us at the door. "Follow me, please," was all she said, before turning and heading into the castle, but that was all it took. Those three words were the only thing needed to let us all know she was to be taken quite seriously. She led us to a small room, left us for a moment, then came right back. "It is time for you to be sorted," she said, with what seemed to be a hint of a smile tugging at one corner of her mouth.

"How are we to be sorted?" Charlotte asked Marlene and me in a whisper.

"I dunno," Marlene answered, whispering as well. "Ollie said something about taking a test, and Chase said we had to fight something, but I think they were teasing me. I hope so, anyway."

"It's a hat," I told them, excited to be able to tell them something about the magical world for once. "Professor Dumbledore told me," I further explained, when they both looked at me with astonishment.

"Those little buggers," Marlene ground out. "They had me nervous for nothing."

I still had no idea how a hat was supposed to sort people according to their personality, so I was rather astonished when it started singing. I was so shocked that I didn't hear a word past "The Houses four…"

Soon enough, the first years were being called up alphabetically to sit on the stool and place the Hat on their head. Charlotte was called fourth, and was the first Hufflepuff of the year. She took her place at their table, then patted the bench next to her and giving Marlene and me significant looks. Then gave me another one when it was my turn to be Sorted.

"Well, hello there, Miss Evans," a warm voice said in my head. "I can see that you want to be in Hufflepuff with your friend, but let's take a look, shall we? Just to be sure that's where you belong."

I nodded, then felt silly, realizing that the whole school could see me nodding to the voice in my head. "Don't give it another thought, dearie. Many of them have done the same. Now, back to you. You are ambitious, but not cunning or sly, so Slytherin wouldn't do. Not feeling particularly brave or bold, either, are we? No matter, Gryffindor will have to do without you. Quite the good mind, rather studious. Ravenclaw would be a good place for you. Yes… but there is that drive to work and do your best. You are friendly, that's true, and that sense of responsibility. I know exactly where to put you. Hufflepuff!"

The last word was shouted to the room, and I ripped off the Hat. Charlotte was beaming so widely, I thought her face was in danger of splitting. She hugged me tightly as I sat next to her. "And now we have to wait for the M's," she whispered, clasping my hand in hers tightly. "Our trio surely wasn't meant to be formed, only to be ripped apart so quickly."

As it turned out, she was right. Marlene joined us after what seemed to be a lengthy argument with the Hat. Several students at the table hugged her, and she quickly introduced them as her various relatives.

Once the Sorting was over, Professor Dumbledore stood up. "Welcome, students, to another wonderful year here at Hogwarts. As many of you returning may have noticed, Headmaster Dippetts is no longer with us. He decided to retire, and so the school governors have graciously offered me the position. Professor McGonagall will be taking my place as the Head of the Transfiguration Department, and we would like to welcome Professor Castro as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. And now, I'm sure you are all quite famished, so eat up!"

At his last words, food appeared on the tables. And it was all of my favorites. Roast chicken, potatoes, steak and kidneys, anything I could think of. It was all there. And then, just when I thought I could eat no more, came pudding. "I think I'm going to like it here," Charlotte sighed over a triple layered chocolate cake.

When I felt so full, I was sure the girls were going to have to roll me to our dormitory, the food simply melted away. Professor Dumbledore stood up again, smiling once more. "I bid you all a good night. Have a good night's rest, and wake up ready for a new school year to begin. Prefects, if you please."

"Hello, Hufflepuff first years!" a cheery older girl chirped. "I'm Grace Jackson, and this is Marcus Trimble."

"We're the fifth year prefects, and we'll show you the way to the dormitory," a handsome boy her age added.

"Now, I can understand being giggly over him," Marlene whispered to us as we followed behind. "He is dreamy!"

The prefects led us down to the basement and to what seemed like innocuous barrels on the ground. Rather large barrels, to be sure, but still, rather unsuspecting. That is, until Marcus grinned, took out his wand, and tapped out a simple sequence. At his last note, the middle one opened up, revealing the hidden passageway to the common room. "The sequence never changes, but if you get it wrong, it does spit some nasty things at you," Marcus warned.

"And it's best not to show too many from the other Houses," Grace added. "We can't give away too many of our secrets."

"Now, the boys are down this hall, all the way to the end," Marcus continued, pointing out a hallway across the common room from the entrance. "And the girls are the same, down that hall."

"Have a good night, and don't hesitate to ask either of us for anything, or any of the other Hufflepuff prefects," Grace told us. "Ravenclaw prefects are pretty helpful, too, and most Gryffindors, when they aren't feeling too mischievous. And teachers are always willing to help, as well, since it is pretty easy to get lost in this big castle."

It wasn't until we got to our dormitory room that something occurred to me. "Why didn't she mention Slytherin?"

 **AN: I just changed the Fifth Year prefect from Ted Tonks. I needed him to be a year older!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Settling in to Hogwarts was easier than I had ever dreamed. Charlotte, Marlene, and I were incredibly close, like we had been destined to be friends. And I wasn't the only one to make new friends.

 _Dear Tuney,_

 _Hogwarts sounds amazing! I can't wait until I'm there and we can go exploring together! Are there really moving staircases? And ghosts? Your friends sound lovely, but I'm still your bestest, right?_

 _Do you remember that Snape boy? The one who lives in Spinner's End? Well, he's in my class this year, and he's a wizard! Can you believe it, Tuney? Somebody else with magic in our own town! He heard me accidentally say Hogwarts the other day, and he wanted to know how I knew about it. He's still a bit shy, but I'm determined to break him of it. It will be nice to know somebody else at school when I start._

 _I can't wait for Christmas! I know it's still so far away, but I miss you more than anything! When you come back we'll go sledding every day and we can make cocoa and biscuits with Mummy and we'll decorate the tree and make paper chains and have so much fun! And you can show me all the magic you've learned. That way I can be ahead of everybody in my year! Wouldn't that be fun? I miss you. Write back soon._

 _Love,_

 _Lilly_

Missing Lily and my parents was the only thing marring my first week. But early Monday morning the following week brought me up short.

We left the other girls in our year still sleepily getting ready, as Lottie was moaning loudly about how hungry she was and that she was going to eat someone if we didn't hurry up. So Marly and I simply shared a grin and headed out, grabbing our friend on our way to the door. We were still teasing her when we got to the stairs leading to the Great Hall. I started up in front of my friends when I was rudely shoved aside. "Out of my way, Mudblood," the blond snarled at me. Marly gasped at his words, but I didn't know what it meant. I did know that he was much older than me, at least a Fifth Year, and looking at me like I was something unpleasant he'd found under his shoe.

"Really, Lucius, there's no need to be so rude," the dark-haired girl next to him sighed.

"Andromeda, she doesn't belong here. I can't believe you would defend a Mudblood," he said in astonishment.

"Is there a problem here, Malfoy?" a deep voice asked, and everyone turned toward it.

"Of course not, McKinnon," Malfoy, apparently, sneered back at Marly's brother, Ollie. "Or, at least there won't be, once the little Mudblood moves out of the way."

Ollie's face darkened. "Tormenting First Years now, are we? Well, at least I'm in a position now to stop it. Ten points from Slytherin, and you can apologize to Miss Evans."

"That is never going to happen," Malfoy spat.

"Fine. Make it thirty points, and I'll be telling the Headmaster about this," Ollie said.

"You do that, Head Boy," Malfoy sneered. "Come along, Andromeda," he added, dragging the girl behind him.

"I'm so glad my brother's Head Boy," Marly sighed. "I take back every bad thing I ever said about it this summer."

Ollie grinned briefly, then turned to me. "Are you alright, Petunia?" He seemed very concerned about me, and I was merely his little sister's friend.

"I'm fine," I assured. "But I don't know what it was that he called me."

Both McKinnons looked a mixture of anger and discomfort. "It's nothing, Pet," Marly started, but Lottie cut her off.

"Mudblood," she spat, her normal sunny attitude darkened. "I've heard it often enough. It means dirty blood. To Purebloods like Malfoy, those like you or me who have Muggles for parents are second-class, not worthy to be in the same room as them. They think they're better than everybody else."

"But it's not true," Marly assured emphatically. "You two are just as good as that Malfoy, better, in fact. And you are going to prove it, too. Just be the absolute best in our year, and they'll see."

Ollie looked amused. And a little sad. "Well, that is a marvelous goal, and if you need any help with it, just let me know. Are you sure you're alright, Petunia?"

"Yes, thank you," I said, blushing under his intense scrutiny.

"Alright, then, why don't we head off to the Great Hall together, hm? I thought I heard someone grumbling about being hungry in the dormitory," he said, grinning impishly at Lottie, who also blushed.

That run-in with Lucius Malfoy typified most meetings with Slytherins. They found something to look down on us for, whether it was our blood status, or our House, or who we associated with. I wasn't so sure I wanted Lily to have to face this in two years, not that I really had a choice. But I most definitely didn't tell her about it in my letters home.

Her letters continued to come with a typical Lily regularity. Soon, they were filled with tales of Severus Snape. I was glad Lily was making a new friend, but somehow, there was a little feeling in the back of my mind that something was not quite right.

 _Dear Tuney,_

 _Severus tripped Marcus Grant this morning, and he got hurt. Marcus, I mean, not Sev. But Sev did it because Marcus was teasing me._

 _Dear Tuney,_

 _Steven in my class made fun of me for knowing all the answers, and Sev tied his shoe strings together, by magic._

 _Dear Tuney,_

 _Susan fell off the swings today, right after she teased me about my hair. I asked Sev about it, and he said she deserved it. She was making fun of me, and he was just protecting me, like any friend would do. That's okay, right?_

When I finally met Severus Snape during holiday, the little feeling exploded into full-on foreboding. Lily introduced us with excitement, her two favorite people finally really meeting, as she put it. I was polite and friendly, just like Mummy had always taught me to be, but he was sullen, almost bordering on rude. Then, he proceeded to tag along on nearly everything we did as a family. He never smiled, except at Lily, and hardly spoke. He stayed at our house all day, every day, but never really participated in whatever activity we were doing. And the only time he laughed was when I fell ice skating.

Two days before the new term, Mummy had a bad day, so I decided to stay at home with her. And before Lily could even say she wanted to stay, too, and I could tell she did, Severus had snatched her hand and dragged her outside, barely stopping to let her snag her coat and gloves on their way out. I watched them worriedly, but started when Mummy let out a sigh.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

"Oh, it's nothing, Pet," she tried to assure. "I'm just a little tired."

I looked at her, and I didn't believe her. "You're worried about Lily."

"No, I'm worried about Severus," she corrected. "He hasn't had an easy life, and I'm afraid he might not make the best choices. He tends to try to hurt those who hurt him, and that's no way to go through life. But if anyone can help him, it's our Lily," she added cheerfully.

Mummy's assurances aside, I still worried about Lily and her friendship with Severus. But my first day of classes in the new term soon took my mind off it, as I had something new to worry about.

"Good morning, class," Professor Slughorn boomed as he walked into the classroom. He smiled at our response of "Good morning, professor." Once he made it to the front of the classroom and set his briefcase on the desk, he turned to face us. "Professor Dumbledore has asked all of us teachers to try something new this term, and so we shall. We are aiming for a little more inter-House unity. Which means we will have new partners this term, assigned ones. And they will be with someone in a different House as yours. The names are on the board now." Here he flicked his wand behind him. "Hop to it!" he added, when no one moved.

I exchanged a mournful look with Lottie and Marly, then looked at the board. Not only had he paired a Hufflepuff with a Slytherin, but almost every pair was a boy with a girl. This was definitely not something I was looking forward to.

Finding my name was easy. Finding the person that went with the name next to mine wasn't. "Who's Nicolas Selwyn?" I hissed at Marly as she left our table. Sadly, she didn't hear me.

Someone else did, however. "You must be a muggleborn," an unpleasant voice to my left said. "I mean, if you don't know who I am."

"I'm guessing you're Nicolas Selwyn." I managed to keep a friendly tone, remembering Mummy's teachings, but it was rather difficult.

"Of course," he scoffed. "Why else would I be talking to someone like you?"

The rest of the lesson went rather like that. If he talked to me at all, it was in a condescending tone. He also refused to do any of the work, making me do everything. Since I liked Potions and was quite good at it, I didn't mind terribly. Well, I did, but I tried to not let it get me down.

And so it continued, week after week, Nicolas Selwyn looked down his nose at me for every little thing he could find to dislike about me. He harped on my looks, my heritage, my House. My clothes and mannerisms were also liable to be targets. The only things he didn't take an issue with were my Potion making abilities and essay writing.

"At least you're good for something," he mumbled, looking uninterestedly at the perfectly blue shade of our (my) cure for boils.

"You know what," I said, slamming my wooden spoon down on the table. "I am done. I am done letting you take credit for my work. Since we've been partners, you have yet to lift a single finger to help me with anything. So starting now, if you don't do half of the work, I am going straight to Professor Slughorn and telling him exactly what has been going on all term. And if you think he won't believe me, just remember how much he admired my work all last term. He never commented on your potions, did he?"

Selwyn had a shocked look on his face for a brief moment, before it turned rather shrewd. "Not bad, for a Hufflepuff," was all he said, before pulling the mortar and pestle to him and beginning to grind the snake fangs we needed.

From then on, Nicolas Selwyn treated me differently. I wasn't particularly proud of nearly blackmailing him into actually doing his work, but I couldn't argue with the results. He did his part of the work, even allowing me to correct him when he started doing something wrong. And slowly, no doubt due to my frequent chattering, he started to open up to me. But it wasn't until the last week of classes that I realized exactly how much our relationship had changed.

Cleaning up after potions-making wasn't my favorite thing, but it was my turn. Nic had taken our potion in its little vial to Slughorn, who had stopped him for a little chat. It was my turn at the water gargoyle when someone pushed me from behind, sending me flying into the water. The water was freezing, and my fall had upset our potion, dumping it all over me, as well. I was so surprised that all I could do was sit there in shock. Marly and Lottie flew toward me, but Nic somehow beat them to me. He pulled me up and attempted to brush the potion off me, but only succeeded in smearing it more. Then he turned to the person who'd been behind me in line. "Vanity, you did this, didn't you." It really wasn't a question. He practically growled it.

"You can't prove it, Selwyn," the small, brunette Slytherin sneered at him.

"I saw you. Don't ever touch Petunia Evans again."

I couldn't see Nic's face, but apparently Adam Vanity saw something in it that convinced him not to test Nic. Vanity swallowed, then went back to his work table, not bothering to wash out his cauldron.

"Oh, Miss Evans, did you have a spill?" Professor Slughorn came waddling over to me, waving his wand. The next thing I knew, my potion had disappeared from my clothes, as had the water soaking through my robes. "There, there, all better. Oh, except for that scrape there. You must have hit your head. You should go to the Hospital Wing," he fussed, wringing his hands distractedly.

"I'll take her, Sir," Nic offered, then practically dragged me out of the room.

We walked fairly quickly, Nic hustling me up stairs and through corridors. I'd never seen the look on his face before, and I couldn't deny that I was a bit unsettled. Finally, a corridor away from the Hospital Wing, I couldn't take anymore. "Nic, stop," I ordered, planting my feet firmly. Which made him jerk to a stop, too, seeing as he still had a hand on my arm. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, now we need to get that cut looked at," he said, trying to get me going again, but refusing to look me in the eye.

"Oh, posh, it's just a scratch," I scoffed. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

He didn't want to tell me, but I was persistent. After a few minutes of me silently looking at him, he gave in. "I just didn't like how he treated you, alright? Like you were something beneath him. And I don't like people hurting my friends," he finally confessed.

That confession made my now stinging eyebrow worth it. I beamed at him. "Okay. Now, let's go visit Madame Pomfrey."

 **AN: I am so sorry this is a week late! I've been busy with work and today was my first day off in a week. I am so sorry! But I appreciate all the support this story and its companion have received. I love all the favorites/follows/reviews. Especially reviews (wink,wink)!**

 **Also, with this chapter, I feel like I need a disclaimer. I do not feel, nor did I mean to imply, that all Slytherins are evil. I actually wanted this chapter to show that there are good Slytherins. I love the headcannon where Slytherins and Hufflepuffs are best friends, and the Slytherin will hurt anyone who hurts their Hufflefriend.**

 **Also, I adore any and all Marauder headcannons that I find, so they may find their way into this story :D**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **P.S. I changed Lucius and Andromeda to being Sixth Years here, as well. But that was it!**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

At the end of the year, I spotted Lily right away on the platform, even for all the other people swirling around. She made it quite easy with her bright red hair and jumping every three seconds to try to see over everyone else's heads. The moment the train stopped, she slipped out of Daddy's hand and raced to the door. Somehow, she managed to get to the right door, the one directly in front of the compartment I was sharing with my friends. I laughed and pulled open the door, anticipating the hug she came flying at me with.

After much laughter and hugging, we separated. To everyone's surprise but my own, Lily then hugged Marly and Lottie, just like she'd known them as long as I had. There was more laughing, and more hugging, and lots of promises of letters, before we finally managed to get off the train to where Mummy and Daddy were waiting. "Hello, darling," Mummy smiled, hugging me tightly. I hugged her back, trying to ignore the way her ribs stuck out a little bit more than they had at Christmas.

But I was wrapped in Daddy's arms before I could dwell on it much. "Ah, my Tunia, how I've missed you!" he cried dramatically, throwing one hand over his heart. "I don't know if I can bear to part with you next year!"

Lily and I giggled. "Daddy, you know I'll always come home for holidays," I reminded. "And I would have been gone for just as long if I had gone to Ashford's."

"I know, Pet, but it's still hard to be away from my girl for so long. You'll understand when you have little girls of your own someday," he said smiling. Then he quickly frowned. "But not too soon, you hear? No boys until you're thirty."

"Really, Roger. We have two beautiful daughters. I seriously doubt we'll be able to make it past their Third Years before boys start noticing them," Mummy teased. "If they haven't already. Who was that lovely boy in your compartment, Petunia?"

"Oh, that was Nic. He's my friend," I explained, then hurriedly added to it. "He's just my friend."

"Good," Daddy said gruffly. "And he'd better stay that way, too. No boyfriends for my girls."

…

Summer passed in a lovely blur. Lily and I played together every day, by the river on nice days, in the attic on rainy ones. Severus joined us more days than not, though he didn't play very much, but I tried not to mind. After all, Marly and Lottie came over quite often, as well, after Marly's mother helped us connect our fireplace to the Floo Network.

When August came rolling in like the air from an oven, so did my Hogwarts letter. Lily pouted for a moment, before I reminded her that she only had one more year before she could go, too. For the rest of the day, she chattered on about how much fun we would have together, once she was at school. And then the next week, we met Marly and Lottie, and their families, in Diagon Alley for school shopping.

Lily started the day sad, since Severus's mother wouldn't let him go to London with us, but she quickly perked up once we met up with the others. Soon enough, she was laughing and joking with Marly and oohing and awing over girly things with Lottie. I was so glad my friends had accepted her, but I shouldn't have been surprised. After all, Hufflepuffs are known for being accepting of everyone.

And then came my birthday. Lily woke me early by bounding onto my bed, the way we had forever for birthdays, it seemed. After giggling and tickling, we went downstairs to the delicious smell of Mummy making pancakes, my absolute favorite. There were presents, and cake, and a picnic in the park. And then, as a special surprise, that afternoon saw Marly, Lottie, and even Nic tumbling out of the fireplace. "You helped us celebrate our birthdays," Marly said logically. "We couldn't let you do it without us!"

I waited for a quiet moment with Nic before asking, "How did you manage to come? I mean, I know your mum doesn't like you being friends with-"

"I told her I was going to Marlene's, and since she's from a respectable Pureblood family, it was alright. I simply didn't tell her that wasn't the final stop of the afternoon," he answered with a sly grin, reminding me why he was in Slytherin.

Lottie spent the night, and she, Lily, and I stayed up giggling under the blankets in the attic. Lily pestered us for more stories about Hogwarts, until she said she finally felt like she'd been there with us. I eventually fell asleep, sandwiched between two of my closest friends.

My birthday marked a change. Now, the closer it got to school, the sadder Lily got. It wasn't a constant thing, but whenever she remembered I would be leaving, she would mope for a bit. Conversely, it seemed that Severus got more and more chipper. Or at least what passed for chipper for him. He quit glaring at me, settling for smugly smirking in my direction. I couldn't help but worry about Lily whenever I saw him.

The morning of September first dawned cold, but sunny. It seemed that the weather understood my mood perfectly. On one hand, I was terribly excited to go back to school and practice magic. On the other, I was already missing my family dreadfully. But the hustle of getting me to the train soon pushed it to the back of my mind.

We got to Platform 9 ¾ early again, but not quite as early as the year before. Now that we knew what to expect, it wasn't nearly as nerve-wracking. Once again, Daddy tugged my trunk onto the train, comically pretending to buckle under its weight. "What do you have in here, Tuney? A dead body?"

"Nope, just books," I replied cheerfully. "Lots of books."

"You are definitely your mother's daughter," he grinned, ruffling my hair.

Soon enough, Marly and Lottie showed up with their families. Mummy and Daddy chatted with their parents, while we spent the last few minutes trying to cheer Lily up. "We'll send you loads of letters," Lottie promised.

"And before you know it, it'll be next year and you can come, too!" Marly added.

"And no matter what, you'll always be my best friend," I whispered in her ear, hugging her tightly.

The train whistle sounded, and those of us heading to Hogwarts gave last minute hugs and promises to behave. We crowded onto the train, waving as it left the station. Then we girls sank into the cushions in our compartment. Not five minutes passed before Nic found us. "Sorry about that," he said, meaning the fact that he hadn't joined us earlier. "Mum still doesn't like that fact that you lot aren't, well, you know," he finished lamely, looking a bit ashamed.

"It's alright, Nic," Lottie assured. "Now, who's up for some Exploding Snap?"

…

That year started off quite similar to my first. The only noticeable difference was that Lucius Malfoy, the older boy who had tormented me, was now more vocal about his Pureblood ideology. And more prone to bullying, but only when there wasn't a teacher around. And he knew terrible jinxes, which meant no one wanted to stand up to him. Except one.

"Honestly, Lucius, you don't have to pick on every Mudblood you see," Andromeda Black said wearily. "He's done nothing to you."

The he in question was a tiny First Year Ravenclaw. The girls and I had been walking from the Great Hall to the library one September Saturday afternoon to study, and we witnessed the boy accidentally step in front of Malfoy, who then began ranting about the boy's unworthiness to even walk Hogwarts' halls, before Andromeda stopped him. He then turned on her. "You're taking his side?" he nearly screamed at her.

"No," she replied cooly. "I just don't think it's worth it to terrorize First Years."

Before Malfoy could blink, Andromeda stalked off down the hall, perfectly poised as usual. Every person in the hall stared after her, some in awe, some in anger. Then, we quickly scattered, not wanting to be in Malfoy's general vicinity when he blew up.

"I don't understand the Pureblood thing," Marly said later, once we were safely away from Malfoy. "I mean, I'm a Pureblood, and I'm not better than you, Petunia. In fact, you're better at everything! Except flying, of course," she added teasingly.

It was true. In almost every class, I got better marks than Marly. And I was terrible at flying. But before I could reply, Lottie said, "Speaking of flying, are we going to the match tomorrow?"

And before I could groan, Marly immediately said, "Of course!"

"But why?" I whined. "It's not even Hufflepuff playing!"

"It's Quidditch," Marly said, like that should explain everything. "If I don't go, Max will be upset that I didn't go to see him, even if he is only a Reserve," she continued, referring to her older Gryffindor brother. "And I need to watch the opposition and study their moves if I'm going to know how to beat them next year when I make the team."

So that was how I found myself going to the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin match, the first of the year. We sat with Nic, since Slytherins usually got along with Hufflepuffs, but we got dirty looks every time Marly cheered for Max, who'd gone in after the starting Gryffindor Keeper took a Bludger to the head five minutes in. "Just how many brothers have you got, McKinnon?" Nic asked incredulously.

"Seven," she sighed. "And I'm the only girl. Go Max!" she then screamed, cheering her brother on.

"Now you understand why she likes Quidditch so much," Lottie giggled.

The match wasn't terribly long, and for once, I didn't wish to be somewhere else. "I think all those long Quidditch rants you give have finally done some good," Lottie teased Marly. "It looks like Pet has finally caught on."

I blushed, but it was true. For once, the figures flying above me made some semblance of sense. I found myself following the Chasers the most, since they seemed to be the ones who had the most to do. "The Prewetts have to be the best Chasers in Hogwarts, and they're only Third Years," Marly told me, noticing my attention. "They're twins, and it's like they can read each other's minds. Ollie used to hate playing them as Keeper, because just when you think you've gotten the better of one, the other shows up out of nowhere."

I watched the Prewetts for the rest of the match, and it did seem like they knew what the other was thinking at all times. And when one was in trouble, the other was always right there to help.

But even though the Prewett twins scored one hundred and ten points between the two of them, the match went to Slytherin, who cheered so loudly around us, I thought my ears might burst. And then the Slytherin Seeker, who'd just caught the Snitch, was thrown onto shoulders and carried back to their common room. "Well, girls, it's been fun," Lottie said. "But I think we should go back in now. Before it starts to rain."

That match was a turning point for me. What had once been a confusing game with far too many players and balls to keep track of, now became something entertaining, exciting. I still couldn't fly, even to save my life, but Lottie and I started helping Marly train. She was determined to become the Seeker the next year, once our current Seeker graduated. We would spend nearly every free moment we could outside, simply throwing balls or other small objects for her to catch. And sometimes Nic would even join us, flying at her so she could learn to avoid other players. I think he had a bit too much fun trying to scare her, though. His delighted laughs always lasted quite a while.

Lily also loved hearing about Quidditch, though she agreed that it wasn't really something either of us should play.

 _It would be really silly, Tuney, since we're both afraid of heights. But I can't wait to go to matches with you! And Sev, of course. I think he would like Quidditch, don't you?_

I personally couldn't agree, but I didn't tell Lily that. I couldn't see the surly little boy liking anything, other than my sister.

…

Christmas holidays came and went with the usual fervor and delight. Lily, of course, wanted to hear about everything that had happened at Hogwarts, and even though I had already told her through my letters, I told her everything again.

And Severus Snape was a near constant in our house, though he never participated in any activity. When my friends from school came to visit, both Lottie and Marly tried very hard to be kind and friendly, but to no avail. But he and Nic took an instant dislike to each other. The rest of the visit was filled with them sniping at one another, trying to outdo the other's sarcasm. Finally, Mummy had enough and sent Lily and Sev upstairs to the attic, while the rest of us stayed downstairs. Nic seemed far too pleased with himself at that.

…

Back at school, life went on as usual. The girls helped me get Lily's birthday present by owl-order, a pretty locket engraved with lilies. Lottie and I helped Marly train, even with snow on the ground. I got rather good with warming charms, mostly to survive. But I was still grateful when spring finally arrived.

One Sunday in April, Lottie and I were once again helping Marly train. After nearly an hour on the Quidditch pitch, we were tired from throwing balls in every which direction. Marly, however, was not. "C'mon, girls, you can't give up now!" she encouraged. "How am I ever going to be as good as Glynnis Griffiths if I don't train?"

This was the fourth time that afternoon she had mentioned her idol, the legendary Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies, and it was beginning to grate. "You're the one training, not us," Lottie grumbled, halfheartedly throwing a golf ball in the air.

But then I had an idea. "Wingardium Leviosa," I whispered, and the various balls we'd been using rose into the air as one.

"Perfect, Pet!" Marly giggled, immediately going after the farthest ball from her.

We were laughing at her enthusiasm when some of the Gryffindor team came on the pitch. "Marlene, what are you doing?" Max asked her, incredulous.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she yelled back, not breaking her concentration on the ball until it was in her hand. "Training for next year."

"But it looks like you're training for Seeker," Max said dumbly. "What about Keeper?"

It was a well-known fact throughout Hogwarts that all the McKinnons were some of the best Keepers the school had ever seen, and had been for generations. Most of her brothers who had graduated already had received offers to play professionally. What wasn't as well known was that Marly wanted to stand out from her brothers in as many ways as possible.

"I want to be a Seeker. That's where the glory comes," she replied, landing lightly by us.

Two laughs broke Max's dumbfounded expression. "If she wants to be a Seeker, let her, McKinnon. After all, Godric knows how many of you have been Keepers. Maybe it's time to branch out."

It was one of the Prewett twins, though I wasn't sure which. They just looked too much alike. And then the other picked up where the first left off. "And it looks like she's a pretty good Seeker, at that. But it's our time on the Pitch, little Huffles. We've got it booked, and we can't have you all spying on us for your team," he said with an easy grin.

"It wouldn't help our team anyway," Lottie said with an answering grin. "They're all rubbish this year."

The Gryffindors laughed. "That's true. Now, whose idea was it to Levitate all the balls for McKinnon here?" the first Prewett twin asked.

"Mine," I answered, a bit shyly. After all, they were all Third Years, and rather popular. Not to mention, attractive.

"That was a good idea. We'll have to tell Carter about that one. Nice going, Huffle," Prewett Number One said with a wink in my direction. My face instantly flamed, but he kindly didn't mention it.

We girls went inside after that, leaving them to their practice. "Did you see Max's face?" Marly crowed. "It was priceless! I haven't been able to surprise any of my brothers like this ever!"

"Did you see the Prewetts?" Lottie asked. "They are so handsome! And one of them even winked at you, Pet!"

Once again, my face flamed. "He was just teasing me, Lottie," I replied, trying to brush it off like it hadn't sent a thrill down my spine.

It didn't work. For the next few weeks, every time we even saw a glimpse of a dark head of hair, both girls would immediately start to tease me. Frankly, I wouldn't have been surprised if the whole school knew that I supposedly had a crush on one of the Prewett twins. I didn't, of course, but that didn't matter, not to Lottie and Marly.

 **AN: I am so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Life's been a bit crazy, and I'm a huge slacker. But I'm putting myself on a schedule for writing, so updates will be more frequent. Also, I did edit a bit, changing just a few things, mostly to keep things canon.**

 **I do want to thank you all for reading, and a big shout out to all who reviewed/followed/favorited. It totally makes my day getting those little emails!**

 **Look for the next chapter of What Now Is in the next few days!**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Spring brought more changes than just the weather. It was very nearly imperceptible, but something came over the school like a black cloud. Most of the professors were more somber, more troubled. The older students also were different. Some were worried, anxious, while others, like Malfoy, grew bolder with their bullying. They were rather clever, though, and cautious. They rarely got caught, as they were always careful to steer clear of teachers.

I fell victim to one such "incident". I had a book to return to the library, and Lottie was attending a Gobstones club meeting, while Marly was spending time with her brothers. So this meant I had to go by myself. "I'll be fine," I assured the others with a laugh. "I can make it to the library and back alone. I mean, I'm no Gryffindor, but I think I'm brave enough to do this."

The storm that had been brewing all day had finally decided to let go, so leaving the bright warmth of the Hufflepuff common room was decidedly difficult. Glad I had grabbed a jumper earlier, I hurried up to the library, already imagining curling up in my favorite spot by the fire with the new book I would get.

In my haste, I didn't pay much attention to what was around me. I tripped suddenly, but that wasn't terribly uncommon. The floors were giant slabs of stone, after all. Not exactly level, even with centuries of wear. And of course, my book went flying. But as I looked around for it, I heard laughter and froze.

"Look at the little Mudblood," one cruel voice said. "Poor little thing can't even find her book."

"If she had her wand, it might make things easier on her," another said.

"Of course she doesn't have a wand," a third voice interjected. "She's a filthy Muggle and doesn't deserve one!"

Malfoy, along with Rosier and Avery, came closer, seeming to circle around me. All three grinned maliciously. I was so frightened that I simply sat there, frozen, watching them, and picturing my wand sitting on my night table, just where I'd left it. Then Malfoy pointed his wand at me. "Tarantallegra!"

Instantly, my feet started jerking uncontrollably. Since I was already on the floor, I didn't fall, but I was terrified. I wasn't in control of my own body. And then I was hit with a "Titillando!" Invisible fingers instantly started tickling me, adding hysterical laughter to my jerks and squeaks.

"Serpensortia!" A snake, huge and hissing, exploded into being right in front of me. Screaming, I tried to back away from it, but the jinxes that still held me in their grip prevented me. I could barely wriggle away, far too slowly, but still it advanced.

Just as it was about to strike, "Evanesco!" was shouted from the hallway to my right, with a "Finite Incantatem!" right on its heels. The snake vanished, and three very angry Slytherins turned to glare in the direction the voices had come from. I looked, as well, but focused more on trying to get out of the line of fire. "Mr. Malfoy, if that is you, you have approximately five seconds before you and your friends all have a very long bought of detentions."

The voice sounded like Professor Fawley, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, but I still couldn't see anyone in the hallway. Apparently, though, Malfoy and his friends didn't want to take the chance and ran the other way, most probably to their Common Room.

A giggle pierced the silence they'd left behind them, then two pairs of feet made their way to me. I soon looked up to see a boy and a girl, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. "Hi, I'm Danae Fawley, and this is Evander. Are you alright?" the girl asked me.

"Um, yes?" I was a bit overwhelmed by the sudden nature of the entire encounter. And then my brain caught up. "Wait, Fawley? Like Professor Fawley?"

"Um, yes, Brontes is our brother," the boy, Evander, replied.

"And it's a good thing Evander has spent so much time practicing sounding like him," Danae said. "I don't know what we would have done, otherwise."

"Yeah, I never thought that particular skill would come in handy," he added with a smile, lending me a hand up. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I think so," I said, standing gingerly. After a moment of mentally checking myself, I was convinced that there was no lasting damage. "Thank you so much! I was so scared, and I didn't know what to do, and I didn't have my wand, and I-"

I was cut off by a hug. "It's alright,... I don't know your name," Danae said, pulling back slightly to look in my face.

Mortified, I hurried to answer her unspoken question. "Petunia, Petunia Evans. Pleased to meet you."

Evander laughed. "Likewise, though not under these circumstances. We were just heading to the library. Would you like to join us?"

I agreed, only partly so I wouldn't be alone. The two seemed quite friendly, and I most definitely didn't want to be alone.

On our way to the library, I found out that Danae was in my Year, though we hadn't ever talked. But it wasn't until we got to the library that I really recognized her. "You're the Ravenclaw Professor McGonagall keeps getting after for drawing!" I exclaimed, then immediately covered my mouth, not having meant to potentially embarrass my new acquaintance.

Thankfully, she laughed. "Yeah, I doodle too much. But she's such a fascinating subject to draw, as well as everyone else in the class. I can't help it if I'm rubbish at Transfiguration and get bored in her class."

"You'd better try and get your marks up, or Mum will take your drawing quills away," her brother warned.

"She wouldn't," Danae said confidently. "She knows I would just use a regular one, and drawing wears them down faster. She doesn't want to have to replace them three to four times as fast. And besides, I could just get you to buy me new ones the next time you go into Hogsmeade," she wheedled.

Evander tried to look unaffected, but the grin threatening to break free was clear even to me, and I'd known him all of twenty minutes. It was obvious he cared for his sister. "Well, it's a shame you don't spend as much time applying yourself to your studies as you do to your little doodles and scribbles," he said pompously, sounding exactly like his professor brother, before bursting into laughter.

Danae giggled, as well, and their laughter was infectious. We all were still laughing quite raucously as we entered Madame Goodweather's domain, but quickly ceased when she glared at us over her glasses. She perked up marginally, however, when I turned my book back in. Then promptly displayed her displeasure when we each checked several new ones out.

Evander and Danae walked me back to the Hufflepuff common room, though I did try to excuse them from the chore. "Nonsense," he said, puffing his chest out ridiculously. "What kind of Gryffindor would I be if I let you go by yourself? Nay, I will walk both fair ladies to their destinations before I can see to my own comforts." He then proceeded to stomp down the corridors with an exaggerated swagger that only made Danae and me laugh harder.

"Thank you, kind sir, and you, gentle lady, for your escort," I said with a little curtsey when we had reached my stop. "You have been far kinder than I deserve."

"Nay, fair lady, thank you, for allowing us the pleasure of your company," Evander said, bowing in return.

Danae laughed, then turned serious. "What are you going to do about Malfoy and the others? Are you going to turn them in?"

I thought about it for a moment. "No, I don't think so," I said slowly.

"Why not?" Evander cried angrily. "Those slimy gits deserve it."

"Well, if I did, they might find out about you two and go after you. And even if they didn't, they would still probably come after me again. And besides, they'll be leaving in a few months, so it's not like they'll be around for much longer. I'll just avoid them until then, and not go anywhere alone after dark. I'll be fine," I promised my new friends with a smile.

"If you're sure," Danae agreed.

Evander didn't. "We could go to Brontes. He may be a pompous git, but he's still a fair bloke. He'll listen to us."

"It's alright, Evander. I'll be okay. After all, we can't all be brave Gryffindors," I teased.

At that, he grinned in acquiescence. "Alright, if you're sure, then there's nothing really we can do. But if you change your mind, just let us know and we'll go straight to Brontes."

"Thank you, both of you. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up," I said, in all earnestness.

"Just be glad this one likes to read," he replied, still grinning as he stuck a thumb in his sister's direction.

…

After the incident, Danae joined our little group often, sitting with us in shared classes and revising in the library. Evander even joined occasionally, though not frequently enough to please Lottie. "He's just so handsome," became her frequently sighed phrase whenever he was brought up in conversation.

Unsurprisingly, Nic did not like Evander, and only tolerated Danae. Danae, for all her daydreaming and odd bouts of staring before feverishly sketching or writing, but Evander was simply another story. "I think it's because he likes having all of us girls to himself," Lottie stated one day when we were safely ensconced in our dorm room for a nice gossip session.

"It's not like he likes any of us," Marly protested.

"No, but I think he doesn't like sharing his friends," Lottie replied slowly, like she was still trying to work it out as she spoke. "You've seen how he gets when anyone approaches us, really. He's very selective about his friends, and he almost seems afraid that he's going to lose us. Well, really Pet, since she's the one he's truly friends with."

"I think you've been spending far too much time reading those Muggle psychology books your mother leaves around the house," I teased.

"Probably," she agreed with an easy laugh. "But that doesn't mean I'm wrong!"

Our discussion was cut off when Leslie and Tina, two of our other dorm mates, came rushing in. "You missed it, girls!" Tina cried.

The three of us shared a look, before looking back to them in bewilderment. "Missed what?" Lottie asked.

"Oh, it was perfect!" Leslie sighed, coming to sit on Marly's bed, so she could be closer to us on mine. "Andromeda Black and Lucius Malfoy got into a huge screaming match in the Great Hall! There was name calling, and all sorts of nasty things said. And then…" she trailed off dramatically.

After a few seconds, I couldn't wait any longer. "And then," I prompted impatiently.

"And then she broke up with him!" Leslie finished.

"And that's not even the best part," Tina added. "She told Malfoy she's been secretly dating Ted Tonks, and was only waiting until her eighteenth birthday so she could get some sort inheritance to break up with him!"

"Ted Tonks, like Hufflepuff prefect Ted Tonks?" Marly asked in astonishment.

"Our Ted Tonks?" Lottie continued. "The bloke we've all sighed over for his good looks and easy going ways?"

"The one and only," Leslie confirmed. "Apparently, they were paired up for Prefect rounds, and the rest is history."

"Wow," Marly said lowly. "Wait'll her family hears about this."

"Oh, Narcissa's already disowned her," Tina informed. "She screamed some, too, all about how Andromeda was shaming the family and throwing her future away. Andromeda calmly replied something about how that was why she waited for her inheritance, since she knew she would be disowned for dating a Muggleborn."

The girls chatted some more about the juiciest gossip to hit the halls of Hogwarts in a long time, but I stopped listening. All I could think about was how I was Muggleborn, and how this strange and exciting new world I'd found myself in wasn't always the most welcoming. Malfoy clearly thought any Muggleborns were the scum of the earth, but apparently there were more people who thought the way he did. And I was about to introduce Lily to the same prejudices.

"Hey, Pet, don't worry about it," Marly said, jolting me from my thoughts. "Not all Purebloods are like the Malfoys and the Blacks, and hey, not even all the Blacks are like the Blacks. And honestly, there are more half-bloods and Muggleborns in the world than Purebloods. And anybody who has a problem with you because of your birth can take it up with me. And my seven big brothers," she added with an emphatic nod.

"There's always going to be bad in the world," Lottie added. "But as long as you can see the good, that's always going to outweigh the bad in the end."

"As long as I've got you girls, I'm golden," I replied, hugging them both tightly.

…

News about Andromeda's break-up with Malfoy travelled quickly through the castle. "Serves him right," Danae said the next morning, nodding indignantly.

Unfortunately, though not terribly surprisingly, Malfoy was in even more of a foul mood than usual for the next month, hexing anyone who happened to have the misfortune of being in his way. This continued all the way up until the week before exams, when he showed up to the Great Hall holding Narcissa Black's hand. She looked terribly smug, and was sporting a shiny new necklace. "The course of true love," Nic said blandly. "Or at least the Pureblood version. Her parents probably shoved the next available daughter at him to keep him happy. After all, there was an understanding that he would marry a Black daughter."

I was struck with a terrible thought. "Your parents don't expect you to marry like that, do they?"

"Of course," he replied, looking unconcerned as he buttered his toast. "They have their eyes on a Greengrass for me, Lucretia, I believe. She'll be a First Year next term. But," he added with a mischievous smirk, "that doesn't mean I'm going to follow through with it. She can have Alex. He was supposed to have Giada Parkinson, but she's rather chronically ill. I doubt Father and Mother will make him marry her still."

"Alex is five years older than you," Lottie pointed out. "Meaning he's about eight years older than her."

"That doesn't matter to some Purebloods," Marly told us. "Some Purebloods even marry their own cousins to keep the lines pure."

I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "That is so wrong."

"Thankfully, I don't have that in my family. At least not too closely. Though it would explain some things," Nic mused.

 **AN: And here is the next chapter! I know I said I would be finishing Family in Progress before working on this, but Petunia was insistent. Thanks to all who followed/favorited/ and a big shout out to lunaz for their review. That's what keeps me going!**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Exams passed, finally, and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that I was in the top ten percent of my year. "Really, Pet, you shouldn't be surprised. You're the best in Potions, and nearly the best in every other class," Marly said with a laugh.

"Yes, Mother is going to be disappointed that I let a Muggleborn beat me in nearly every class once again," Nic added, popping a chocolate frog in his mouth whole. Since there was only the four of us in the train compartment, he didn't seem terrible concerned with manners. However, the minute Danae and Evander popped in for a moment, he sat up straight, his bored Pureblood mask back on. The rest of us ignored him when he was like that.

"You really should come visit," Danae told us all. "Our orchards are simply the best place for picnics."

"Why in Merlin's name would we want to go to our teacher's house over the holidays?" Nic asked in derision.

In contrast, Evander simply laughed. "First of all, Brontes doesn't live at home, hasn't since a week after leaving Hogwarts. And secondly, he was only teaching for the year. He's an Auror, but a mission went wrong, really wrong, so they suggested he take a year off. Dumbledore offered him the Defense post, so he took it so he wouldn't be bored."

"So that's why he was teaching," Marly mused. "Auggie went through Auror training with him, I remember hearing about him, but I didn't understand why he would teach a bunch of kids instead."

"I wonder who'll be the Defense teacher next year," Lottie mused. "We've had a new one every year, so far."

"I've had a new one every year," Evander added. "I've heard there's some sort of jinx on the position. There's been a new teacher every year for the past twenty years or more."

"Who did it, the jinx? And why would they do that?" I asked, partly curious, partly horrified.

"No one knows," he explained. "But no Defense teacher has lasted more than a year, and quite a few of them have had horrible endings, that's why Mum didn't want him to take the position. However, Brontes is still alive and as big a git as ever."

Once again, as soon as the train pulled into the station, I saw Lily jumping up and down, trying to see over everyone else's heads. She caught sight of me, and, as soon as the train stopped, was rushing on board to hug me. Laughing, I introduced her to Danae and Evander. "This is my sister, Lily. She'll be going to Hogwarts next year."

She grinned up at Danae, but then grew uncharacteristically shy when it came to Evander. "Hello," she said primly, all the while blushing furiously. The rest of us girls grinned widely, but didn't say anything about it while we all said our goodbyes.

Lily carried Morgana's cage, while I dragged my trunk over to Daddy. "Where's Mummy?" I asked, looking over the platform for her.

"She's at home, Tunia, but she's terribly excited to see you," Daddy answered. "She thought you would like some freshly baked biscuits for when you get home."

I couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed, but I saw how anxious Daddy was, so I nodded. "Of course," I said, trying to sound cheerful. "There's nothing better than Mummy's biscuits straight from the oven." There was no disguising Daddy's relieved smile after that.

Lily chattered the whole ride home, mostly asking me questions about Hogwarts, but not quite giving me time to answer them. It was alright, though; I knew she was feeling a bit nervous and quite a lot excited for the next school year. There was so much to look forward to, and now that Lucius Malfoy was gone, I was quite happy for her to join me. And she asked me quite a bit about Evander.

"He's a Fourth Year, you say?" Daddy asked in alarm.

"Well, really, he's a Fifth Year, now that school's out," I grinned cheekily.

"Just remember, girls, no boys until you're thirty," he reminded grumpily. "Why did I have to be cursed with such beautiful daughters?"

"Don't worry, Daddy, you're still my favorite boy," Lily assured, and I nodded enthusiastically.

"We could never replace you," I added, leaning over his seat to kiss his cheek. That brightened him up considerably, to where he didn't mind us talking about Evander a bit more. And when we got home, Mummy's delicious biscuits almost distracted me from her shaking hands.

The summer passed pleasantly, with regular visits from all my friends. We girls even had a slumber party to celebrate Danae's birthday.

"Well, girls, since you are all thirteen now, or almost," Phoebe, Danae's older sister, said with a grin my way, "I think it's time we introduce you to makeup and beauty charms."

That night, she and her friends showed us all kinds of makeup, both Muggle and Wizarding. They showed us how to use a charm to straighten hair, or, for more stubborn types (mine), a fabulous potion called Sleekeazy's that turned my curls into perfect, pin-straight locks. They taught us tricks to keep nail varnish from chipping. And they introduced us to the perfect eyeliner: it was charmed to never go on wrong. It was so fun.

But Daddy didn't like it when I Flooed home the next morning. "What is that on your face?" he bellowed.

"It's called makeup, Roger," Mummy answered calmly. "And it looks wonderful, darling."

"She's still a little girl, MY little girl," he argued.

"She's growing up quite nicely, though I'm afraid you'll have to wait until your birthday to wear anymore, Tunia, darling. We did agree to wait until then for you to start wearing it," she told me.

"Yes, Mummy," I agreed, since my birthday was only a few weeks away.

"I want to wear makeup," Lily pouted.

"That most definitely is a no!" Daddy said, panicked.

"You will have to wait until your thirteenth birthday, Lily Flower. Petunia has to wait, and so will you," Mummy said, as calm as ever.

I looked at Lily and winked. After all, we did share everything, and we would be at Hogwarts soon enough.

…

"Tuney, wake up! Wake up, our letters are here! I've got my Hogwarts letter! Oh, Tuney, do wake up!" Lily's triumphant cheering woke me one morning, about a week before my birthday.

"Did you think Professor Dumbledore was joking, Lils?" I sleepily teased her.

"No, but this just makes it real," she said, lying next to me with a sigh. "I was almost scared that I would wake up and find that it was all a dream, or that you were a witch but I wasn't. That would be so disappointing, wouldn't it?"

"Even if it did happen, we would still be best friends, no matter what," I promised.

My birthday was celebrated in London that year, getting all our school supplies and meeting up with Marly and Lottie. "And, as promised," Mummy said with a smile as we at lunch in the Leaky Cauldron, "we will be getting you some makeup. We can leave Daddy here to chat with Tom," she added in a faux whisper.

"Yes, please," he groaned. "Spare me makeup, woman. If my Tunia has to start wearing it, at least don't make me help pick it out."

"I'll stay here, too," Lottie's dad immediately chimed in. "There's simply no way I would walk voluntarily into Madame LaBelle's, let alone spend the hour or more that you lot are likely to spend there."

In the end, the three dads went to Quality Quidditch Supplies, where my friends' dads were going to explain the sport to mine. And we girls went to Madame Labelle's, where there was every imaginable beauty supply, both Wizarding and Muggle. And we happily spent the hour that Mr. Brimhall had predicted, and then some.

...

Soon enough, it was September first, and that morning was even more hectic than the previous two years had been. "Is Morgana in her cage?"

"Have you seen my shoes?"

"My wand! I can't believe I almost forgot my wand!"

"Girls, three minutes until we need to leave to pick up Severus!"

Somehow, we managed to leave for the Snapes' on time. Daddy grimly put the car in park, told us to wait, and walked to the door. "This is Severus's house?" I asked in horror. The brick house looked as if it were holding itself together through sheer will, and losing the battle. The nearby houses were all similarly decrepit, many with broken windows and weedy, tiny front gardens. The neighborhood was nothing like our own, with its small but neat, cheerful looking houses.

"Yes," Lily said sadly. "That's why he'd rather spend time with us at our home than here."

Seeing where the boy had grown up made me feel bad, and I determined to try a little harder to be his friend. After all, Lily liked him, so there had to be something good in him, right?

My determination dwindled as soon as he got in the car, already dressed in wizard robes. He didn't even help Daddy place his trunk in the boot, and ignored me completely. Instead, he talked constantly to Lily about what they would do on the train, alone, even though Lily and I had agreed to share a compartment."You don't mind, do you, Tuney?" she asked anxiously.

Before I could respond, Snape did it for me. "Of course she doesn't. She's got to have some friends, doesn't she?"

"It's alright, Lily. Just come find me whenever you want," I assured her with a smile, though, in truth, I felt like strangling the odd little boy. I contented myself with listing all the things of the castle I had missed over the summer.

Lottie had already claimed a compartment for us by the time we got there, so we all piled our trunks on the racks. "We'll be back in a bit, Tuney," Lily promised me. "But maybe we should find some others in our Year."

"Good idea. You never know who you might meet on your first ride to Hogwarts," Marly said, popping up suddenly and giving Lottie and me a wink. "You just might meet your future!"

After Lily and Snape left, Lottie spoke up. "That Snape boy is an odd one. He makes me feel rather uncomfortable."

I sighed. "I know, but you could never convince Lily of it. We picked him up on the way to the platform this morning, and seeing where he came from made me feel so bad for him, but then he showed up and suddenly I couldn't muster up an ounce of pity for him. It's like he makes an effort to be nasty."

"You know a person's bad if even Petunia can't find a good word about him," Nic joked, sliding into the seat next to me. "You weren't talking about me, now were you?"

I swatted at his arm. "Of course not, Nic. It's Snape."

Nic's lip curled in disgust. "Oh. Well, in this case, I completely agree. He's a miserable little worm."

The miserable little worm showed up in our compartment about half an hour later, being towed by a very irate Lily. "The bullying, arrogant little toerags!" Lily muttered, slamming the door closed.

The rest of the group looked from Lily to me, like I'd be able to magically tell what was wrong. I had no idea, however. "Who, Lils? Who made you so angry?"

"Two boys back there," she said, waving towards the back of the train. "They were so mean to Sev!"

Restraining myself from rolling my eyes, I tried to comfort her. "Well, Hogwarts is a big school. Hopefully you won't have to see them much."

"So, which House are you two angling for? Make sure it's Hufflepuff," Lottie teased, trying to help distract the two younger students.

"Who'd want to be in Hufflepuff?"

The question seemed to float in the air for much longer than it should. For once Severus actually looked remorseful, though I had a feeling it was for Lily's sake than anything else. "Considering you're in a compartment with three Hufflepuffs, you might want to revise that statement," Nic said, colder than I'd ever heard him.

"Sorry," Snape muttered, looking more toward Lily than those he'd insulted.

"It's nothing," I said cheerfully, pulling out a deck of cards. "Exploding Snap, anyone?"

I'd never experienced such a tense ride to school before. None of my friends liked Severus, nor did I, and he made it abundantly clear that he cared for none of us. But, for Lily's and my sake, everyone made nice for the day.

When we finally reached Hogsmeade, I gave Lily one final squeeze before sending her and Severus towards Hagrid and the boats. Then, my friends and I made our way to the carriages. "Petunia!" I heard behind me.

Turning just in time, I saw Danae throw her arms around me. "I missed you all!" she cried, moving to hug Lottie next. "I couldn't find you on the train!"

"Ugh, I wish you had," Lottie replied sourly.

"Why? What was wrong with your ride?" Evander asked, causing Lottie to freeze for a moment, blushing a bit.

"Oh, well, you remember Lily, Pet's little sister? She joined us on the way here," Lottie explained.

"Well, that's not very nice to say about your friend's sister," Danae gasped.

"Oh, no, Lily's a doll, as always. She just brought a friend," Lottie rushed to continue. "Snape is a little beast."

"Oh, that makes more sense," Evander said, laughing as he held the door to a carriage open for her. Which only made her blush more. He didn't seem to notice.

I could hardly sit still as Professor McGonagall brought the First Years into the Great Hall. Lily was quite easy to spot with her bright hair. She was nervously bouncing on the balls of her feet, I was quite sure she wasn't even aware of it, and looking around the room. Once her eyes landed on me, I gave a huge grin, and she stopped bouncing, giving me an answering grin. "What House do you reckon she'll be in?" Marly asked, whispering as McGonagall called the first name.

"Oh, Gryffindor, no doubt," I answered quickly. "She's far too brave for anything else." Though I did want her in my House.

Ravenclaw got the first student, but their applause was cut short when McGonagall called out, "Black, Sirius."

"Is he from that Black family?" I asked Marly, who would know.

She nodded. "Cousin to Andromeda and Narcissa. There's no question which House he's going to."

But she was shocked when he wasn't sorted into Slytherin. The boy passed us as he made his way to the Gryffindor table, and he looked nearly as shocked as everyone else. But by the time he'd found a seat, he was looking quite pleased with himself.

I dismissed the Black boy as soon as Lily caught my eye again. She had turned rather pale, meaning her freckles stood out a bit more than normal, and she was wringing her hands quite violently. But I gave her a wink, and she relaxed, her color coming back to normal."Lily's lucky to have you," Lottie whispered, noticing our exchange. "I'd love to have a sister like that."

"Oi! You happen to have two sisters, right here," Marly cried, somehow managing an indignant tone in a whisper. "And we would both do anything for you."

"Absolutely," I agreed. Lottie grinned.

Quite soon, Lily's name was called. She bravely held her head up, nearly skipping toward the stool. The Hat was on her head for all of ten seconds before announcing, "Gryffindor!" Lily took the Hat off, looking to me first thing. I grinned brightly, even for the slight sinking feeling in my stomach, and she grinned back. She went to her new table, hugging me briefly on her way. I saw the Black boy offer her a seat next to him, but she sniffed haughtily and took a seat several down from him.

"He must be one of the 'bullying, arrogant toerags' she met earlier," Lottie laughed.

By the end of the Sorting, we'd found out who the other one was. James Potter joined Black, and Lily sniffed at him, too. "His family is really quite wealthy," Marly told us, as she did with all the names she recognized.

"Aw, it's too bad Lily doesn't like him," I giggled, noticing her scowl toward him, as well. "She could have married him and been set for life."

"Oh well. She's still got that crush on Evander, doesn't she? And the Fawleys are quite well off, too," Marly said, ignoring Lottie's sudden glower.

To no one's surprise, but Lily's slight dismay, Severus was Sorted immediately into Slytherin. She clapped for him, and he looked toward her. The look on his face bothered me a bit. It was more than just sadness. It was almost hunger.

…

Lily and I didn't really get a chance to spend time together until the weekend. Saturday morning, we met in the Great Hall, picked up some finger foods, and I showed her the Quidditch Pitch. We sat on the grass, and she told me all about her first classes and dorm mates. "Alice seems quite nice, and Dorcas is so funny! I haven't really gotten to know the other girls yet, but I will. And Professor Slughorn says he hasn't seen such proficient First Years as me and Sev since you! Potions is my favorite class, I think. Well, maybe with Charms. It's quite fun to make something do things it doesn't normally do!"

We were still chatting when Max McKinnon and some of his Quidditch team came over. "I feel like we're always kicking you off the pitch," he teased.

"Well, I just love watching you play," I joked back.

"Don't I know it," he said, winking at me.

As Lily and I left the pitch, she tugged at my arm. "Were you flirting with him?" she asked excitedly.

"With Max? No! He's just Marly's older brother, and he kept coming over when Lottie and I would help her practice last year."

"Oh." I could tell Lily was disappointed, though I had no idea why. But she was chattering about being the first to make their feather fly in Charms before I could ask her about it.

Later that day, I found my way back to the pitch with Lottie and Lily. Marly was slated to try out for Seeker, and of course we had to cheer her on. Just as she and the others trying out for the position took off into the air, Max slid next to us. "Hello, again, ladies," he said cheerfully. "Has my sister managed to mar the family name?"

"Of course not!" Lottie cried. "Marly's brilliant on a broom!"

"Of course she is. She's a McKinnon. And I taught her myself," he replied, jokingly arrogant.

I snorted in laughter. "Auggie taught her, you twit. You tried telling her that since she was a girl, she couldn't play Quidditch."

Max shrugged sheepishly. "She remembers it one way, I remember another. That's what brothers are for."

"To tease mercilessly? I'm glad I don't have any," Lottie retorted.

"It must be so odd to be an only child," Lily mused.

"Meh, I get the best of everything," Lottie answered. "I don't mind too much. And besides, I have my Hogwarts family anyhow."

Marly caught her faux Snitch five times before anyone else caught theirs once. Naturally, she made the team. "I made it!" she screamed, riding her broom to where we were waiting on the stands. Not bothering to get off like a normal person, she simply jumped off, tackling the whole lot of us.

"That was a deliberate attempt to maim the Gryffindor Keeper," a familiar voice said above us.

"Yes, foul goes to the Gryffindors," another voice said.

I recognized the Prewett twins. They were both grinning, looking at all of us tangled together. "No, mates, my little sister has just decided to become a broom jumper. She's always been a bit nutty," Max said, laughing as he pulled himself out of the mess.

"I've just made the Hufflepuff team," she corrected, tugging on his leg to make him fall down again.

"Congrats," said one twin, Gideon, I thought. He had a star shaped freckle below his left eye, while his twin had one on the right.

"But we're still going to slaughter you," Fabian, maybe, added, grinning.

"We'll see," Marly said with a haughty sniff. "Haight has put together a good lineup this year."

"Yes, we will see," Fabian replied. "But Max, mate, we have another team meeting. Farley's finalized his game plans and wants to go over them."

"Ladies, it was nice seeing you," Gideon added, looking to all of us and winking.

"He definitely winked at you!" Lottie squealed, hopefully after the boys were out of hearing. "That one fancies you, Pet!"

"He does not!" I hissed back. "And you don't even know which one it was."

"I don't particularly care. Both are rather dishy," she teased.

"For the last time, Lottie, neither of the Prewett twins likes me," I sighed.

"But he did wink at you, Tuney, maybe he does like you," Lily put in.

"Fantastic. You've even got Lily on your bandwagon," I grumbled. My friends all chuckled. "I need new friends."

 **AN: Here's the next chappie! Apparently, snow makes me want to write, seeing as I pounded this all out today. Anyway, thanks to all who've followed/favorited, and a big shout out to femalefarrier for her review!**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Lily and I managed to spend time together every weekend. That is, until Halloween. "But I get to go into the village, Lils. I'll bring you back something from Honeydukes, the sweet shop, I promise," I pleaded, trying to get her to give the kicked puppy look a rest.

"But you said we would spend weekends together," she said, sniffling.

"Yes, and we will. There's still tomorrow. And besides, I know Severus would love to spend time with you all to himself." It was a bit of a dirty trick, using Severus like that, but I was desperate to go with my friends and explore the village. Hogsmeade was the only all-magical place in all of Britain, and it would be fun to visit it.

"I suppose you're right," she replied with a sigh. "But you'd better bring me back some chocolate!"

"Of course! And tomorrow, I'm all yours! Thanks, Lils, I love you," I called back to her, dashing off to where the girls were waiting for me.

Our adventure started at Honeydukes, of course, and we spent a good hour or more there, simply staring in awe at the different flavors and varieties available. Somehow, I managed to get out the door with only a few chocolate wands and sugar quills, on top of Lily's chocolate.

Next, Marly dragged us to Zonko's joke shop, where we spent another hour with her plotting various revenges against her brothers. "Do you think Max would fall for this nose-biting teacup?" she asked contemplatively.

"Definitely not. But you might try it on Ollie. I think the pattern nearly matched Mum's set," Max said in her ear, causing her to squeal and whirl around.

"Max!" she nearly yelled. "You could have given me a heart attack! What are you doing here?"

Max and the Prewett twins with him raised their eyebrows in disbelief. "Hogsmeade isn't just for Third Years," Gideon said.

"Right," Marly said, mildly embarrassed.

"And what were you doing trying to get me to fall for a nose-biting teacup?" Max asked, suddenly indignant. "What have I done to deserve that?"

"Really?" Marly's tone was rather dry. "Let's see, maybe the time you turned my hair orange last summer, or perhaps the time you charmed my broom to fly backwards! Or maybe the time…"

Lottie and I slowly backed away from the arguing siblings, knowing that it might be a while before they stopped. Surprisingly, Gideon and Fabian joined us. "They might be at this for some time," Fabian said, gesturing to the McKinnons. "Do you girls fancy getting a drink at the Three Broomsticks while these two argue?"

"We might even be back before they've noticed we've left," Gideon added with a laugh. "And warm butterbeer from Rosmerta is not to be missed."

Lottie and I looked to each other, both more than a little surprised, but agreed readily. "We're going to the pub," Gideon told Marly and Max, who decided to come with, but continued their argument.

"Oi, no fighting over lunch!" Lottie said authoritatively, once we'd found an empty table big enough for all of us. "You'll spoil our appetites."

Surprisingly, the siblings listened, and we had a very pleasant meal. The boys even refused to let us pay. And then they somehow talked us into going to the Shrieking Shack. "It's the most haunted building in Britain," Gideon said with a grin.

"Anybody fancy a stroll inside?" Fabian asked, with just the same grin as his twin.

"I'm quite fine here," Marly retorted, gesturing to her feet firmly planted on the other side of the fence. "The Fat Friar said the ghosts who live here are even worse than the Bloody Baron, or even Peeves."

"Peeves isn't that bad, not once you get to know him," Max replied, grinning just as much as his friends.

"Well, if you boys are such brave Gryffindors, why don't you go?" I challenged, feeling a bit more bold than normal. "After all, we're just Hufflepuffs. We don't have bold and brave in our descriptions."

Everyone looked at me, a little shocked, but soon the girls were grinning with me. "You're not scared, are you?" Lottie teased.

All three boys straightened, as if offended by the accusation. "Of course not," Max scoffed.

"We'll show you just how bold and brave we can be," Gideon added, throwing my words back at me with yet another wink.

And off they went without another word. "You don't think anything will happen to them, do you?" Marly asked anxiously, pulling Lottie and me closer.

"No, they'll be fine," Lottie assured, but the quaver in her voice belied her words.

I didn't say anything, just kept watch with bated breath. The boys slowed down, once they'd reached about five feet or so away from the decrepit house. They were practically inching their way to the nearest window. Once they made it there, Gideon looked back at us and smiled, then stuck his hand in a small crack of the covering, trying to get a good grasp to pull it off. And then he screamed.

Of course, the three of us girls screamed, as well, and the other boys pulled on Gideon's shoulders, trying to pull him away from the house. They finally succeeded, then all three ran full pelt toward us, each boy grabbing a girl as they passed us, and proceeded to drag us up the street.

Once we were in sight of the shops and houses of Hogsmeade again, we finally stopped running. "Can't… breath," Lottie panted. "Can't run."

Everyone was gasping for breath, but I couldn't help worrying about Gideon's hand. "How's your hand?" I asked him, terrified he'd lost it to a ghost because of me. "We should see Madame Pomfrey."

With a sly grin, Gideon showed me his hand, perfectly whole. The gasp we girls let out was perfectly synchronized. "Why you little prats!" Marly screeched. The boys simply laughed.

It took the entire walk back to school, but the boys managed to get us to forgive them. "It was pretty funny," I finally admitted at the doors.

Gideon grinned, and we girls went down to our common room, while the boys went up to theirs. It wasn't until Lottie had tapped out the pattern on the barrels to enter our House that she stopped suddenly. Before we could ask her what was wrong, she quirked her head to the side. "Did we just go on our first dates?"

Marly and I looked at each other in surprise. "I did not go on a date with my brother," she said firmly.

"No, but think about it, girls. They paid for our lunches, Max for mine, Fabian for Marly's, and Gideon for Pet's. It was like it was planned," Lottie explained logically.

But Marly snorted in amusement. "There was no way my brother could come up with something so elaborate. And besides, how did they know we would be in Zonko's? No, it was just a coincidence."

Lottie refused to be swayed. "I think Fabian arranged it, once they saw us in the joke shop. He's the one who suggested lunch together."

"So you think Fabian likes me?" Marly asked, confusion wrinkling her forehead. "That would be odd. He's Max's friend."

"But very dishy," was Lottie's reply.

"And you would have fun with him," I added cheerfully, though I felt a bit down for some reason.

"That's true," Marly mused. "But I don't know if I fancy him. We don't even know for sure he fancies me."

"Well, we'll just have to keep an eye on the situation," Lottie declared. "We'll have to see if he pays you attention any more than normal."

We all agreed, and Lottie finally let us into the common room, where we deposited our treasures, before trekking back to the Great Hall in time for the Halloween feast. We met Lily in front of the door, and her smile when I presented her with the biggest box of fudge Honeydukes sold told me I was forgiven. She even sat with me at the Hufflepuff table for the feast that night.

The next day, I spent it completely with Lily, as promised, though she did complain about James Potter quite a bit. "He's always so mean to Sev, Tuney," she said as we ate our lunch. "And Professor Slughorn can't stop talking about his 'natural knack' for Potions."

I felt that a bit more of her annoyance was because he was better at Potions and therefore taking the praise from her, but I knew better than to say anything. Lily was used to being the brightest in her class, and it was a bit of a shock for her to not be anymore. "Well, just ignore him, Lils. Boys have a very brief attention span, especially in First Year. He'll find someone else to pick on and he'll leave you and Severus alone."

It was probably a good thing I hadn't signed up for Divination, since my prediction didn't come true. If anything, it got worse. "Oi, Evans!" I heard the next Saturday, as Lily and I were studying in the library.

We both looked up, and she groaned. "What do you want, Potter?" It was a bit shocking to hear so much animosity in Lily's voice, but this was the boy who'd been tormenting her, and more importantly to Lily, her best friend.

"Did you finish your essay? The one for Slughorn," the boy asked, his hair a mess, tie loosened, and sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

I could see Lily taking in all these details as well, and I knew what she was thinking. Mum had always taught us to look our best, no matter what. It was obvious that Potter had not had the same instruction, or at least never listened to it. "Yes, I have," she sniffed, then returned to her Charms essay like she had nothing more to say to him.

Apparently, Potter didn't get the hint. "Great, then you can help me!" he exclaimed, throwing his bag on the table next to her and settling into an empty chair.

"Why on earth would I do that?" The ice in Lily's voice was a warning,

A warning which Potter ignored. "Because everyone knows you're the best at writing essays out of all the First Year Gryffindors, if not the whole Year. And I need help. I'm rubbish at writing," he said, shrugging in self-deprecation.

"I repeat, why should I help _you_?" Potter looked shocked that someone might not want to help him, personally. But Lily didn't give him a chance to defend himself. "Why on earth would I want to help someone who's constantly hexing others, bullying those around him, always bragging about his talents? It's a wonder your broom can even make it off the ground with your head as big as it is," she spat, then grabbed her things and stormed off.

I waited only to give a frozen Potter a bit of advice. "If you want someone to help you, you might not want to hex their best friend first." Then I chased after Lily, pausing to give Madame Merryweather an apologetic smile.

Lily was already gone by the time I made it out of the library, but I had a guess as to where she would be. "Lils," I said softly, once I'd climbed to the Owlery. "Are you alright?"

She was looking out a window, petting Morgana softly with her back to me, but I could still hear her sniffles. "I'm okay, Tuney," she said bravely.

"You don't have to hide anything from me, Lils. That's what big sisters are for," I reminded, smoothing her long red plait.

Lily sniffed again, then suddenly whirled around and threw her arms around me, sobbing. "I didn't mean what I'd said to Potter! Well, not all of it, but it was so mean! And I didn't mean to hurt his feelings, honest! It's just he makes me so mad and things come out of my mouth without me meaning them! I didn't mean to hurt him!"

"I know, Lils, it's okay. You can go apologize to him," I suggested, but Lily looked at me in horror.

"I can't do that!" she cried. "He would never let me live it down!"

I tried to convince her to apologize, but she was insistent. All I could do then was convince her to ignore him and hope he would leave her alone. And that decision marked a huge change in her life at Hogwarts. The next day at breakfast, she was covered in pumpkin juice the moment she sat down. No one saw anything, so nobody got in trouble, but I could see Potter and Black and their other two friends laughing smugly about it. Two days later, her hair was mysteriously changed to a terrible shade of purple. And a week after that, she and Severus suddenly erupted with spines as they walked into the Great Hall for dinner. And it just kept going, until Christmas holiday.

"I can't take it anymore, Tuney!" she cried, coming into my compartment on the train covered in what looked like glitter. "I have tried to ignore him, I really have. I haven't said two words to him since that day in the library. But he keeps jinxing me, and Sev, and pranking me, and I'm tired of it! I need to get him back, once and for all, to show him who's better at this. And maybe if he knows I'll fight back, he'll finally leave me alone."

Nic's wicked grin made me a little worried, especially since he didn't like Potter's friend, the Black boy. "I think with all of our combined genius, we can figure something out, Lily," he said slyly.

"Nic, I don't think-" I tried to stop it, but Marly steamrolled right over me.

"This is perfect!" she exclaimed happily. "It's been so long since I planned a really good prank."

Even Lottie and Severus were on board with the plan, so I was outnumbered. But even I gave in, when Lily turned her huge puppy eyes on me.

So the rest of the ride home was spent in a council of war, after we cleaned up Lily's glitter trail. And even during the whole break, we were inundated with owls from our friends with ideas to get back at Potter and his friends. Mum and Dad were a bit startled at the number of letters, but we didn't explain. After all, we didn't think they would approve. Well, Mum wouldn't. Dad would, just as soon as he realized it was because of a boy teasing his Lily Flower.

The entire way back to school, Lily was so excited, she was practically vibrating. "This is going to be the best prank ever," she whispered to me as we climbed into our horseless carriage. Before I could agree, she turned to Nic. "Now, you can't forget your part! It won't work without you!"

"I know, Lily," he replied, surprisingly patient. After all, this was the seventh time she'd reminded him since he'd found us on the train.

"Don't worry, Lily. It's going to be perfect," Evander grinned at her. She blushed in response.

Before we knew it, we were in the Great Hall, separating to our different Houses' tables. Since the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor tables were right next to each other, Lily and I sat with our backs to each other. Her dorm mates joined her, and I saw a few give her some odd glances for her bouncing in anticipation.

Dumbledore spoke for a moment, welcoming us all back and hoping we'd had good holidays. Then, as he was telling us about the newest item added to the banned list, there was a loud bang and pink feathers exploded over the top end of the Gryffindor table. The entire Hall turned as one to see Potter, Black, and their two friends covered in bright pink feathers. The four of them seemed to be in shock, even as the rest of us burst into laughter.

Even Professor Dumbledore chuckled. "It seems that our newest pranksters have been pranked, themselves. I think, perhaps, that we should turn you back to normal, however. That particular shade of pink is rather distracting."

But when he waved his wand, nothing happened. He tried again, but still nothing. "It would appear that this is not a spell that I am familiar with, therefore, I must admit that I cannot undo it. I'm terribly sorry, boys, but you are simply going to have to wait it out. In my experience, with a spell like this, you may have a few days to wait it out."

From the twinkle in his eyes, I felt that that might not have been entirely true, at least not the part about not being able to undo it. But I also felt that he knew enough of what happened in the castle to know that maybe they might have deserved it.

 **AN: And here's the next chappie! Now that Family in Progress is done, I plan on alternating between this one and Star Light. So hopefully I will be getting a new chapter out each week, but I make no promises I don't know I'll be able to keep. Thanks to all who followed/favorited, and a big thanks to PurpleReader29 and LTree16 for their reviews. They make my day!**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Throughout the next week, the four Gryffindor boys left a trail of hot pink feathers wherever they went. It was quite entertaining to see them molting throughout the castle, though it didn't seem to have the effect that Lily was hoping for. Potter and Black, once they realized it was Lily who'd done it, kept up a near constant barrage of pranks on her and Severus. On her birthday, for instance, she spent all day thinking her wand was malfunctioning because they'd charmed her wand to conjure ducks whenever she tried to do a spell, any spell. Thankfully, McGonagall saw it at dinner and sorted it all out.

After that, Lily poured herself into getting back at them. She spent nearly as much time looking for new ideas as she did on her homework. But no matter how much she begged, I refused to help her with any more. "But, Tuney, they started it!" she protested hotly.

"And you should be the one to end it," I told her, then added quickly, "by not continuing it. Eventually, they will get bored. And you're going to get caught one of these days if you keep going. Do you want a detention?"

But all my efforts to dissuade her seemed pointless. She was now quite set in her utter hatred of Potter, and by extension, his friends. And so their vendettas went on, unchecked, until one of their harmless pranks turned otherwise.

It was late February when McGonagall found me in the library. "Miss Evans, your sister is in the hospital wing," she informed me quietly.

"What?!" I screeched, earning a glare from Madam Merryweather, which I for once ignored. "What happened?"

Professor McGonagall led me from my table, where I left my things with my friends. In the far corners of my mind, I knew they would take care of them for me, but most of me was too consumed with worry for Lily. "What happened, Professor?" I asked again, heading to the infirmary.

"There was an accident in Potions, it seems, and her cauldron exploded, splashing her with an Herbicide potion. Whatever made it explode interacted with the potion and turned it to a poison. Thankfully, Alice MacDougal is a quick thinker and knows the Augamenti charm. But Lily is going to have to stay the night in the hospital, just so Madam Pomfrey can keep an eye on her."

Thankfully, the library wasn't terribly far from the hospital, and I made it to Lily quickly. I found her already changed into pyjamas and chatting with her friend Alice. "Are you alright, Lily?" I asked, hugging her a bit desperately. Once I released her, I did a quick visual inspection, though I knew Madam Pomfrey was completely capable. But this was my little sister. I had to make sure she was alright.

"I"m fine, Tuney," Lily laughed. "Just a bit of a burn that Madam Pomfrey says will be gone by morning."

Professor McGonagall jumped in then. "Do you know what happened, Lily, when your cauldron exploded? Did you accidentally add something or-?"

The dark look on Lily's face stopped her. "It was Potter. He threw knotgrass into my potion," she replied angrily.

"And why would he do that?" Madam Pomfrey, who'd appeared at my elbow, asked.

To my surprise, McGonagall snorted. "Surely you've noticed the rivalry between Miss Evans and Mr. Potter, Poppy. I presume you may have done something to deserve this, at least in Mr. Potter's mind, Lily."

It was most definitely not a question, but Lily slowly nodded. "I may have Charmed his robes purple this morning," she started hesitantly, then quickly added, "but he Charmed my quill to only write swear words!"

It may have only been my imagination, but I could have sworn a brief smile crossed McGonagall's face, but it was gone before I could verify. "This has gone on long enough, Miss Evans. You and Mr. Potter will each attend a detention with me Friday and Saturday night, and hopefully you will have learned your lesson after that. Do I make myself clear?" Lily nodded morosely. "Good. I hope you feel better in the morning." Then she left, leaving me with a very grumpy sister.

Though McGonagall proved to be correct. It seemed that their detentions managed to create an uneasy truce between the two. Though the letter Lily got from Mum scolding her and the Howler Potter got from his mother lecturing him on the proper treatment of girls may have had something to do with it, as well. So thankfully, I didn't have Lily running up to me, either in tears or excitement, asking me how to do this spell or that to use on Potter and his friends. At least for the rest of February.

March meant Marly and her team were playing the Gryffindors, who were arguably the best team at Hogwarts that year. Jason Farley, Gryffindor captain and the other Chaser along with the Prewetts, had created one of the best lineups in years, and sadly, Marly was quite probably the only really good player on our team. "That just means you've got to catch the Snitch quickly," Lottie assured reasonably the morning of the match. "Catch it at the beginning, and then you don't have to worry about how many points we've got. And this way, we can watch and see if Fabian really does like you."

"But their Seeker is really good," Marly moaned, ignoring the part about Fabian Prewett. "Hammond is being scouted by the Magpies, Arrows, and Falcons. He's too good for me to beat."

She was looking a bit green in anticipation, so I took pity on her, cheering her up the best way I knew how. "Do you really want Max to beat you? You know he'll never let you live it down if he does."

That did the trick. Marly instantly straightened and began eating her toast with zeal. "There's no way I'm going to let Max beat me," she insisted between bites.

I grinned, knowing the fierce rivalry between the two siblings. They loved each other, of course, but they had to beat each other at everything. It didn't matter that Sam, their older brother in Ravenclaw, had already beaten her in November, so long as Max didn't.

Soon enough, her captain collected her with the rest of the team as we wished them good luck. Nic and Danae joined us later as we made our way to the pitch. "Do you think they have a shot?" Danae asked.

Lottie laughed. "You must be joking! Marly may be fantastic, but the rest of them are rubbish. Hufflepuffs aren't really known for their athletic prowess."

"Hush that traitorous tongue," Leslie scolded, but her grin told us otherwise as she settled in behind us.

"Everyone knows that the Hufflepuff team has been at the bottom of the roster for the past ten years," Nic supplied. "And until Marly is made Captain, I don't really see that changing."

Lottie and I exchanged a quick grin at his words. Not so very long ago would Nic have referred to Marly as McKinnon, and he never would have said anything as encouraging as to predict she'd make Captain someday. He really was making progress.

We saw Lily, who waved excitedly before settling in with her friends. After all, my House was playing hers, so naturally we couldn't sit together like we did at every other match. And Evander stopped by, though we quickly and jokingly jeered him back to his Housemates, saying we couldn't be seen with someone wearing a Gryffindor scarf.

And then, the two teams flew out, with our little group cheering raucously when Marly's name was called. Madam Hooch had both Captains shake hands, then, once everyone was on their brooms, threw the Quaffle up, and the match began.

Instantly, Farley snatched the Quaffle, passing it just as quickly to Fabian. Jordan, one of Hufflepuff's Beaters, managed to knock the Quaffle from Fabian to Abbott, one of our Chasers, who just as quickly lost it to Gideon, and that was the last time the Quaffle was touched by a Hufflepuff for the rest of the match. Jordan and his fellow Beater, Marks, did a fairly good job of detracting the Gryffindor Chasers, but our Chasers were utterly terrible. And our Keeper wasn't much better.

After forty-five minutes, the Gryffindors were up one hundred and forty points to our zero, and it was rather depressing. Not to mention embarrassing. This was the worst game I'd ever seen, and I felt terrible for Marly. Then, just as Gideon scored again, Lottie grabbed my arm. "Look! Look at Marly!"

"She's seen the Snitch!" Nic added, coming out of his seat in excitement.

It really appeared that she had seen it. Marly was zooming across the pitch, angling down as she flew toward the Gryffindor goal posts. But the Gryffindor Seeker apparently saw it, too, and he was much closer.

Jumping out of my seat, I gripped the railing in front of me, willing my friend to go faster. "C'mon, Marly, you can do this!"

And then, the impossible happened. Somehow Marly managed to get in front of the other Seeker, cutting in front of him to force him off course. As he went veering to the left, Marly's hand closed around the Snitch, ending the game.

Lottie's arms went around me and Nic, screaming her head off. "She did it! She caught the Snitch!"

I joined in the cheering, while Nic merely grinned and shook his head at our antics. "But they tied," Danae interjected, sounding confused.

"Who cares? Marly caught the Snitch!" I cried, then dragged my friends down the stairs to our right and onto the pitch.

Marly spotted us from the air and immediately landed next to us. "You did it!" we all kept cheering, and she laughed, still caught in the exhilaration of success. Then her teammates came over and joined our little circle, with Jameson, her captain, sobbing with joy.

"Nice catch, McKinnon," a voice said, and we all turned to see the Prewetts, as well as Max. "That was a spectacular catch," Fabian added.

"Eh, it was alright," Max corrected jokingly.

"Thank you," Marly told Fabian, ignoring her brother. "You lot were pretty good, yourselves."

"Even though Max here didn't have anything to do," Gideon said. "Did you enjoy your nap?"

"It was rather delightful. I feel like I could play another match today," he replied with a grin, ignoring the glare Jameson was now sending his way. It was just another proof that the McKinnons could ignore anything unpleasant if they wished.

"Yes, well, the rest of us actually played, so I think you're just going to have to wait until next time," Gideon told him. "After all, between me and Fabian, we scored more than one hundred points."

"Aw, quit showing off. We all know you're the best Chasers in Hogwarts, no offense, gents," Max said, aiming the last part at the three Hufflepuff Chasers, who simply glared at him, then headed to the changing room in defeat.

"And you didn't lose to Max. Congrats, McKinnon," Nic said, giving Marly's arm a congratulatory nudge.

"What? You just had to make sure you didn't lose to me?" Max asked, rather peaved, which started a heated argument between the two siblings. The rest of us ignored them with an ease that came from much use.

"So, are you lot headed into Hogsmeade this afternoon?" Fabian asked us, glancing over at the McKinnons. When we all nodded, he continued. "Wonderful. We should meet up for lunch. That is, if Max can stop arguing long enough," he said, nearly yelling to his friend.

"What?" Max complained, breaking from his argument briefly.

"We're meeting them for lunch. You can argue then," Gideon told him, dragging him from the rest of us. "We'll meet you at the Three Broomsticks in half an hour," he tossed over his shoulder to us.

Once the three Gryffindors were out of earshot, Lottie gave a squeal. "I think Fabian really likes you!" she told Marly excitedly. "He was absolutely looking your way when he asked if we were going into Hogsmeade today."

I agreed, and Nic shrugged noncommittally. But Danae wasn't so sure. "I mean, yes, he was looking at Marly, but it didn't seem like he fancies her. It was almost…" she drifted off, but Lottie rode right over her.

"Of course he fancies her! She's fabulous, and gorgeous, and a bril Seeker. He fancies her." And that was the end of the discussion. Once Lottie made up her mind, it was truth. Of course, she never bothered to ask Marly if she fancied Fabian.

After Marly's quick shower, we headed down to the village, Nic grumbling the whole way. "Why do we have to meet up with the Gryffindors?" was a near constant complaint.

"So Marly can get her first boyfriend," was Lottie's answer, every time.

The other boys were already in the pub when we arrived, and had saved a table for us. It was one of the biggest tables in the place, but still not big enough for all eight of us. Lottie, of course, arranged it so Marly was sitting by Fabian, but I somehow managed to sit next to his twin. And then Nic squished in next to me.

Quite considerately, the boys had already ordered for us, and Madam Rosmerta brought it to us shortly. I had to admire her gracefulness as she skirted tables and customers with a tray full of foaming butterbeers, another tray floating behind her full of food. And she somehow didn't spill a drop. And all four boys seemed more than a little entranced with her curves. "Thanks, Rosmerta," Max said with a wink. "You're fantastic."

"And you're a terrible flirt," she laughed. "Try again when you're a bit older."

The rest of us burst into laughter at the sheepish look on his face, before he joined in, too. "You can't blame a bloke for trying," Max replied easily.

"And you can't blame me for turning you down," she shot back. "Max, I've known you since you were a toddler. You might want to try someone who hasn't known you quite that long. Especially one who hadn't already left Hogwarts when you were born. I'm friends with your auntie, for Merlin's sake. Try someone a bit closer to your own age, yeah?" Then, with a smile and an answering wink, she turned and disappeared into the crowd in her pub.

"You actually know Madam Rosmerta? That wasn't just talk?" Fabian asked in awe.

"Of course. Why else do you think she gives me a discount, my good looks?" Max replied.

"That's obviously not it," Marly answered. "No, Rosie's been best friends with our Auntie Clara since Hogwarts. And Clara would bring us into the pub when she would watch us sometimes, so Rosie loves us and gives us discounts. That's why I always order whenever we've come in."

"I'm never coming here without you," Lottie promised. "I always knew there was a reason why we're friends," she added with a sly grin.

"You wound me! You only want me for my connections," Marly moaned dramatically.

"Of course. After all, I am the most devious Hufflepuff ever," Lottie declared proudly.

"Yes, you're terribly devious," Nic deadpanned. "Which is why I had to be the one to get you out of detention with Flitwick last week for being late."

"Well, I did say the most devious Hufflepuff. It's not like you can expect me to be all that devious, just the most out of our House. And thank you for getting me out of that detention. I don't know what Mum would have said if I'd gotten a detention."

The three Gryffindor boys looked at Lottie in amazement. "You've never had a detention," Fabian stated in disbelief. At her agreeing, if slightly confused, nod, he continued, "Ever." Again, she nodded. "How can you not have had a detention in three years?"

"I've never had a detention, either," I spoke up, then immediately blushed when all attention came back to me.

"Never. No detention whatsoever?" It was Gideon who asked me, causing me to blush even more.

"No," I said, shaking my head.

"Have you ever even lost House points?" he queried, looking torn between amusement and shock.

"I don't think so," I answered, though I knew good and well I hadn't.

"Of course not. Pet's usually the one to get us House points in classes. I'm the only rebel one of us who's actually had a detention," Marly told them. "You've never had a detention, either, have you, Danae?"

"Oh, I have," she answered breezily. "McGonagall gives them often enough when I start doodling in her class instead of paying attention."

The boys laughed, but Gideon's attention was still on me. "So you've never broken any school rules, never been out past curfew, skived off class, nothing?"

From somewhere deep inside me, I managed to pull a bit of bravery out. "I happen to like following rules. I'm not a reckless Gryffindor like you boys. I am quite content following the rules," I told him, jokingly looking down my nose at him.

He simply grinned. "One day," he whispered to me, sending shivers through me as his warm breath tickled my neck. "One day, I'll get you to break a rule or two."

Only Nic seemed to see my blush, but I ignored his rather pointed looks and threw myself into the conversation. Though I did find myself getting rather distracted whenever Gideon's arm would brush mine, or his leg would bump into mine. And it may have been my imagination, but he seemed to pay quite a bit of attention to me, asking me questions and whatnot. But I convinced myself it was only my imagination.

Until we were walking back to the castle. "Gideon was being awfully considerate of you," Danae said in my ear.

"He was merely being polite," I replied, trying to squash the hope her words had caused to spring up.

"I don't think so, Pet. I think he fancies you," she argued quietly.

But before I could rebut, Gideon slowed down to walk next to us. "So, girls, do you think the Cannons have a chance of winning any matches this season?" It was rather hard to ignore Danae's knowing smirk after that.

 **AN: I know it's a bit late, but here's the next chapter! I hope the vision of the tiny Marauders molting hot pink feathers for a week makes up for it a bit. Thanks for all who've followed/favorited/reviewed. Those little emails make my day!**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Danae's knowing grins followed me the rest of the term. Anytime anything remotely related to Gideon in any way came up in conversation, she would smirk in my direction. Thankfully, once exams came up, she found herself revising too much to remember to give me a hard time. "After all, Danni," her brother reminded, "if you don't at least pass your classes, Mum will explode."

But that didn't mean she wouldn't give it a go over holiday. A week after we'd left school for the summer, we girls got together for Danae's birthday, another slumber party. After Phoebe showed us some new beauty charms, Danae immediately started in on me. "So, Pet, how does it feel to have one of the most popular boys in school fancy you?"

"What?!" Lottie gasped, covering up my shocked splutters. "Who fancies you?"

Danae didn't give me a chance to reply. "Gideon Prewett, of course. He's always flirting with her and hanging on her every word. Didn't you see them when we were in Hogsmeade together?"

"I think Lottie was a bit too preoccupied trying to force his brother on me," Marly said with a grin. "But do you really think he fancies Pet?"

"Of course he does," Danae said exasperatedly. "Like I said, he's always paying attention to her, always trying to get her attention. And if I'm not mistaken, someone has feelings for him, too," she added, grinning at me.

Instantly, I blushed. "I, I don't know what you're talking about," I protested.

No one believed me. "Really, Pet, you should have told us," Lottie insisted indignantly. "We're your best friends. How could you not have told us?"

I tried denying again, but they wouldn't have it. "That blush says everything your mouth refuses to say," Marly teased. "But seriously, if you like him, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Both Prewetts are very dishy."

"Fine!" I erupted. "Fine! I fancy Gideon Prewett, but that doesn't mean anything! It doesn't mean he automatically fancies me back. And no, Lottie, I don't want you to try and shove us together at every opportunity. If he does have feelings for me, then he can do something about it. I don't want him to feel like he's being forced into it."

A stunned silence followed my explosion. I'd never once lost my temper around my friends; it wasn't really something that happened often at all. "Alright, Petunia, I won't do anything," Lottie finally said, in a very small voice.

"I'm sorry," I hurried to say. "I didn't mean to get angry. I just really quite like him, and I don't want to push him away. I'm sorry, Lottie."

Thankfully, my friend was quick to forgive. "It's alright, Pet. Now, how are we going to get his attention? I know you said not to do anything to him, but that doesn't mean you can't do something to catch his attention."

We all laughed at her insistence and spent a good while plotting ways to capture Gideon's attention. After four hours of it, the ideas were getting more than a little ridiculous. "Well, at least we can stop trying to get me and Fabian together," Marly eventually sighed. "Which means I can finally tell you that I actually fancy Henry Carlson."

"The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain?" Lottie said in amazement. "Your rival?"

"The Seventh Year?" I added, putting in a bit of logic to the discussion.

"Oh, I know nothing's ever going to happen. But he's so attractive, and he's so bloody good at Quidditch! The Tornadoes are even scouting him!" Marly defended.

"Leave it to Marly to be attracted to a bloke based on his Quidditch skills," Danae laughed.

"Though he is bloody gorgeous, I have to give him that," Lottie said, as if that was all that mattered.

"And who do you fancy, Miss Brimhall?" Danae asked, suddenly affecting a formal tone.

"None of your business, Miss Fawley," Lottie answered, in a matching tone, though she broke into giggles at the end of her statement.

"Oooh, that means that there is someone," I broke in, knowing my friend well. "Who is it, Lottie? C'mon, we shared. It's your turn."

After much prodding from the three of us, Lottie finally caved. "Evander," was clearly heard, even with her head buried under her pillow. Though it wasn't news to me, it clearly was to someone else.

"Like my brother, Evander?" Danae very nearly shouted.

Instantly, the pillow that had been over Lottie's head was sailing through the air toward Danae's head. "Keep quiet! I don't want him to hear!"

"But he's my brother," Danae repeated, like it was something she just couldn't understand.

"He is rather handsome," I supplied.

"Yeah, he's got that golden Apollo-type look going for him," Marly added.

"Do you want me to start talking about how good Max looks in his Quidditch uniform?" Danae asked dryly.

"I mean, Evander's not good looking at all," she quickly amended.

"No, he's beautiful, and he doesn't even know I exist," Lottie moaned, throwing herself dramatically onto my pillow, since hers was now tucked comfortably under Danae's head.

"Oh, he does. Just, you know, as one of my friends," Danae told her mischievously.

"I think that might be worse. Thank you, Danae."

As the two of them playfully bickered, I realized something. "Danae, you're being awfully quiet on the subject of your love life. Is there something you would like to share with the group? Someone you fancy, perhaps?"

"What? Me, fancy… no, of course not! I don't- Ridiculous! I don't fancy, no!" she spluttered fantastically, all the while blushing hard enough to give Lily's hair a good run.

The rest of us shared a knowing look, before pouncing on her. After a few minutes of tickling and throwing pillows, Danae finally gave in. "Alright, alright! I'll tell you!" We all stilled, looking at her expectantly. "I… fancy Nic."

That was not what I'd expected at all. "Nic, like our Nic?" I finally asked, then quickly corrected myself. "Our friend, Nic, I mean."

"Yes, your Nic. I mean, I know he's in love with you, Pet, but I couldn't help it. Once you get past that crusty pureblood snobbery, he's actually a really great guy. And he's so gorgeous! He's got those big blue eyes, and did you notice his arms this last year?"

"What do you mean he's in love with me?" I asked, but nobody paid any attention. Instead, we spent the rest of the night discussing the various boys at school and comparing them to each other.

…

A week before my birthday, Mum and Dad sat Lily and me down. Both parents were very quiet for a long moment, before Dad finally started with, "Girls, what do you know about cancer?"

Instinctively, I shied away, not wanting to hear what he had to say. Lily reacted similarly, tucking herself into my side. Dad smiled sadly, but Mum was the one who continued talking. "Darlings, I have cancer. I've had it for a while now, and it's getting worse."

That was most definitely not what I wanted to hear. Immediately, I started shaking my head. "No, you can't. You can't have cancer."

"I'm sorry, Tunia, but I do. It's why I've been sick so often. And the doctors say it's getting worse, though no one knows just how long I have left," she said quietly.

"But isn't there something that they can do? Doctors can fix anything," Lily said, hope mingling with confusion.

"Not this," Dad replied sadly. "They've already done everything they can."

"But what about magic?" I asked, suddenly struck with an epiphany. "Surely, there's something-"

But both parents were shaking their head before the words came out of my mouth. "It was one of the things we asked Professor Dumbledore when he showed us Diagon Alley," Mum answered. "And while magic can fix quite a lot of things, cancer isn't one of them."

"No. No! Magic can fix everything," Lily argued stubbornly. "It fixes everything."

"It can't fix this," Dad told her.

With a sob, Lily ran from the room. Dad started to follow, but I stopped him. "I'll go. I know where she'll be." I gave my parents a brave smile, one that was completely fake, and left the room.

I found Lily right where I thought she would be, in our now rarely used attic playroom. She was sobbing, curled up in the ratty, cozy armchair. Wordlessly, I slid into the chair, pulling her up into my arms. And together, we cried.

"Why does it have to be Mum?" Lily whispered, sometime after our tears had run out. "Why her? Why not someone else?"

"Would you rather it be someone else's Mum?" I asked gently.

"Yes," she answered, without hesitation. "I might be a terrible person for it, but yes."

"So would I," I replied, pulling her closer. "So would I."

…

That summer marked a change in our lives. For once, Lily and I stayed close to home quite often, regardless of Mum's suggestions to see our friends for the last few weeks. We spent hours with her, often just reading our separate books, but all squished onto the same couch. Or we would pack a picnic, that Lily and I put together, and head to the local park, where we spent hours in the sunshine. Each of us would have a book, and we would form an odd triangle with each of us having our heads on someone else's stomach. Until Lily started laughing, which would make Mum and me laugh, too. Soon, we would all be laughing, heads bouncing from the others' laughter.

But as much as we enjoyed spending time together, there was someone who didn't appreciate it. "You never spend time with me anymore," Severus pouted to Lily. We'd come home from the park that day to find him at our door.

"You know why," she rebutted. "I have to spend time with Mum as much as I can. While I still can."

"It's not like she's going to die tomorrow," he said callously.

"Sev!" Lily scolded.

"Sorry," he said insincerely. "But it's true!"

At that point, Mum pulled me into the kitchen. "I think it's time I taught you how to make Granny's famous cake," she said with a smile.

Lily and Severus joined us soon, though only Lily actually joined in the cooking. Severus turned up his nose at baking "the Muggle way", as he put it, but Mum simply smiled. "Well, as I'm a Muggle, I couldn't possibly bake any other way."

…

My birthday was spent with just my family, though my friends did send presents and cards. Mum managed to surprise me with a cake she'd made the night before, but then spent the day on the couch. "You didn't have to do that, Mum," I told her. "I don't need a cake."

"Nonsense," she said, weakly waving aside my argument. "A girl needs a cake on her birthday."

"Well, Dad could have picked one up from the bakery. You didn't need to bake it."

"No daughter of mine is going to have a birthday cake from a bakery as long as I'm around," she pronounced. We all ignored the unspoken "However long that's going to be."

Dad took us girls to London the next day, where we met up with our friends. He let us drag him everywhere, even giving in to having ice cream at Florean Fortescue's for lunch. But he drew the line at Madame LaBelle's. "There is no way you're dragging me in there," he resolved.

In the end, we compromised. He gave us money and decided to wait in the Leaky Cauldron while we girls shopped. Mrs. McKinnon promised him to keep an eye on us, and he sent us on our way. And he pointedly ignored the bags of makeup and other beauty sundries we carried out.

…

Mum managed to come to the train station with us this time, though she looked increasingly pale the entire time. "Don't worry about me, my darling," she whispered as she kissed me goodbye. "I'll still be here when you come home for Christmas, I promise."

I wasn't sure I believed her, though I held my tongue. No need to worry Lily, after all. Instead, I simply nodded, hugged her a second time, and boarded the train, with Lily and Severus behind me.

Lottie was the next to find us, and she was in a terrible mood, but refused to explain. Once Marly, Nic, and Danae found us and the train departed, Lily stood up, dragging Severus with. "We're going to find some of our friends," was her only explanation, though I knew better.

"Alright, Lottie love, it's time to talk," I said gently.

It took a few more moments, but once she started talking, it seemed to come out in a flood, of words and tears. "Mum and Dad are arguing again. They're always arguing, about the house, and money, and magic, and me. It seems like the only time they even talk to each other is when they fight. And I know what you're going through, Pet, with your mum is terribly worse, but I'm just so scared they're going to get a divorce, and I don't know what to do."

Immediately, Lottie was engulfed by three sets of arms, with Nic staring awkwardly, helplessly by the window. "I'm so sorry, Lottie. Anything you need, anything at all, it's yours," Marly promised.

"I'm always available to listen," Danae added. "Especially during Transfiguration. Definitely then."

Lottie laughed a bit, sniffling, before I told her, "And it doesn't matter what I've got going on. I'll always be here for you. No matter what."

"Have some chocolate frogs," was Nic's contribution. We all laughed at the intensely uncomfortable look on his face as he offered the candy, but it was terribly sweet of him to try.

 **AN: Got to love Awkward Nic. He's just really not used to girls, even after three years of spending most of his time with them. Anywho, I hope you like this chapter, especially since it's a bit earlier than I'd planned on getting out for you. And it was rather hard to write. But it might be a couple weeks before the next one, because I have original fiction that desperately needs my attention, and I wrote this chapter instead of that and the next one of Star Light, Star Bright. But never fear. I won't abandon you! Thanks to all who followed/favorited. You guys make my day!**

 **2/9- I just fixed a pesky typo that escaped me the first time.**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

We quickly noticed a change once we got to our dormitory that night. "Where's Leslie?" Lottie asked, noticing someone missing.

Tina looked devastated. "Her mum and dad were killed a few weeks ago, and her gran decided it would be better for her to go to Beauxbatons, you know, the school in France. She's not coming back!" As she burst into tears, we all rushed over to hug her.

The next morning showed a few more changes. There were three more students that didn't come back that year, and one of them was missing completely. And five more had family members either killed or missing. "What is going on?" I asked over lunch. "Why are people suddenly going missing or being killed?"

Marly looked around surreptitiously before answering lowly. "There's some bloke going around spewing Pureblood nonsense, more than just the usual, I mean. He's been gaining followers, and they've been hurting people, anyone who doesn't fit their Pureblood model, or anyone who disagrees with them. They've even been attacking Muggles."

"Why isn't the Ministry doing something about it?" Lottie asked, horrified. After all, not only was it a horrifying idea, but both she and I fit outside the model, as well as our families.

"They are, but they're keeping it quiet. They don't want people panicking. Dad says it's ridiculous, that people need to know to keep themselves safe, but the Minister disagrees and forbade him from making any public announcements about it," Marly explained. And since her dad was one of the Minister's undersecretaries, we knew she knew what she was talking about.

"But if the Aurors are working on it, why hasn't this whole mess stopped?" I asked. "I mean, the Aurors have magic. Why aren't they stopping them?"

"Because the other side has magic, too, and they're willing to use Dark Magic that the Aurors won't," Marly said sadly. "And the Ministry doesn't even know who the other side is. Dad says that they're usually gone long before the Aurors hear about it, and the few times they've managed to catch up to them, they're all wearing masks. It's impossible to know who they might be."

"I'm willing to bet that Lucius Malfoy is involved," Lottie said vehemently. "You remember what he did to Pet Second Year."

"He might not-" I tried to say, but Marly cut me off.

"Actually, Dad is pretty sure he is, but the Minister won't hear it. Not as long as his family keeps donating gold to the Ministry and St. Mungo's. After all, such an upstanding family couldn't possibly be part of something so horrific." The mocking tone of her voice told me it was something she had heard often over the holiday.

"Why is it that money buys horrible people protection?" Lottie burst out. "Money should not corrupt justice."

"What's got your knickers in a knot?" Danae asked, popping by our table.

I quickly summarized our conversation, and her face fell. "It's terrible. Brontes is always going out on calls for the Aurors, sometimes barely coming home before having to leave again. And his partner was hurt terribly just last week. Mum is nearly distraught over it all."

Making a snap decision, I clapped my hands together. "Well, girls, there's nothing to do about it, at least not from us. So that's enough gloomy topics. What's your timetable like, Danae? I want to see if we have any classes together."

My friends all laughed, but pulled out their timetables, as I'd instructed. And when I happened to glance towards the teachers' table, Dumbledore inclined his head to me with a smile.

…

The news steadily worsened, though Minister Jenkins refused to say anything about the person responsible for all the horrific attacks. Every now and then, letters would bring terrible news to a student, causing several to run out of the Great Hall. But my friends and I were determined to not allow this darkness to overcome us. We started with Tina, inviting her to join us, and cheering her up when she needed it. Then, a month later, she told us about one of the younger girls in our House who had lost her grandfather. It took some planning, and some help from her best friend, but we managed to sneak flowers into her dorm. The next week was a Seventh Year Gryffindor, whose fiance was missing. Lily helped us with that one, delivering the chocolates for us.

Soon enough, word had spread throughout the castle about us, but no one seemed to know who was trying to help those who'd lost someone, other than the friends who'd brought us news. By early October, someone had figured out that the anonymous surprises were originating from the Hufflepuff House, and a message board for friends wanting help sprang up in the Common Room. It took great planning, but with Tina and Danae, we managed it. We somehow helped every single person we were told about. But it was never the same way twice. After the chocolates, a copy of a beloved Muggle novel was delivered, followed by a cake, etc.

Some of the professors even joined in. "You might find some help for your more clandestine activities in the kitchen," Professor Sprout told Danae and me in Herbology, leaning over to inspect our umbrella flower we were repotting. "The painting of a bowl of fruit near Hufflepuff's Common Room, tickle the pear." And then she walked off like nothing happened. We found it that evening, and recruited the House Elves into our mission, as well.

Professor McGonagall slipped me names every now and then, people I would never have found on my own. They tended to be the more popular types, ones whose lives seemed to be perfect. And Professor Flitwick slipped Lottie a book, "Charms for Concealment", that proved quite useful.

But something that distracted us from our plotting was Quidditch. Gryffindor vs. Slytherin always proved interesting, since they had undoubtedly the most intense rivalry. And it was even more entertaining because Nic and Evander sat with us, cheering for their teams. Nic got rather a lot of glares in, even at Marly when she cheered for her brother, though there was no heat in the ones aimed at her.

But for all of Nic's cheering and encouraging, Slytherin lost by thirty points, even though they caught the Snitch. "Those Prewetts are unstoppable," he grumbled, and Danae nudged me with her elbow, grinning.

Evander interrupted my warning look to his sister. "Petunia, I actually wanted to ask you something. We're friends, right?"

"Of course, Evander." I had no idea where this was going, and so was completely floored by his next words.

"Oh, good, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?" he asked, then hurried to continue. "As friends, of course, but it would technically be a date. I hate to ask, but Sylvia Mortenson has been hinting heavily for the last two weeks that she would love to be my date, and I'm running out of excuses to not ask her."

"Um," was all I could say. After all, what could I say? I was Evander's friend, but Lottie was my best friend and fancied him terribly. I glanced at her quickly, and she gave me a resigned nod. "Um, yes, I'll go with you. But just because I'm a nice person," I told him with a grin, trying to keep his attention off Lottie's dejected face.

Relief flooded over Evander's face. "You are a lifesaver!" he cried. "Anything you want at Honeydukes is yours. Anything."

"You never would do that for me," Danae pouted, also trying to keep attention off our friend.

"That's because you get the same amount of pocket money I do, and besides, I couldn't take my sister on a date. That would never convince Sylvia."

Evander and I arranged to meet the next Saturday, then he left to join his House in celebrating. As our little group walked more slowly back to the castle, I apologized profusely to Lottie. "It's not your fault," she assured forlornly. "You were being a good friend to him. That's what you do. And that's probably why he asked you in the first place."

Lily was still riding high on the Quidditch win when we met up later in the library to study, though she soon sobered. After five minutes of her glancing around, I'd finally had enough. "What's wrong, Lils? You're acting like someone's about to attack you."

"No, I- I have to ask you something. But you can't say anything to anyone." She wouldn't continue until I'd promised. "How do you know if someone's a werewolf?"

Shocked didn't begin to cover what I was feeling. "What are you talking about?"

"Just what I said, how do you know if someone's a werewolf?"

I had no idea what possessed her to ask that, but I considered the question. "Do you mean what distinguishes them from regular wolves?"

But Lily shook her head vigorously. "No, I mean what are the symptoms, other than turning into a wolf once a month."

"I don't know. Last year, all Professor Stein would say about them is that they're mindless, heartless beasts, but I don't think that's true," I told her.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't think a werewolf bite changes a person's self, their personality. If they're a terrible person before the bite, then they'll still be a terrible person after. But I think a good person bitten would still be a good person. Now, what's this all about?" I questioned again.

"Do you think they would be sick right around the full moon?" she asked, ignoring my question. "Sort of pale, and tired, maybe?"

"Probably. I imagine that the transformation is awful and takes a lot out of a person, not to mention the fact that you would know what was coming and not be able to stop it," I answered. "Now, who do you think is a werewolf?"

Again, Lily looked around, making sure no one was listening in. "I think Remus Lupin might be one," she whispered, so lowly I could hardly hear her. "You know, Potter's friend, the quiet one."

I pictured the Gryffindor boy. "The one with with the light brown hair?"

"Yes. He's always going to visit his mother, or so he says, but it's always right on the night of the full moon. And surely if his mother really was that ill, Dumbledore would allow him to stay over the weekend, but not during the week. And every time he's 'visiting his mum', he looks terribly ill, like he should be in the hospital, not going to visit one. But he's one of the nicest people I've ever met, even for his rather unfortunate choice in friends."

"Then it doesn't matter if he's a werewolf, does it?" I asked, smiling at my little sister.

Who immediately brightened. "No, it doesn't," she agreed firmly. "Now, what does armadillo bile do?"

We worked together for a few minutes, but then I had to find a book to help me with my Herbology essay. And of course, Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants was on the very top shelf, and my wand was back on the table with Lily. Not wanting to be beaten by a shelf, I stretched onto my toes to try and grab the book. I barely brushed the edge of the shelf it was on. I looked back at my wand, sitting innocently fifteen feet away. Feeling determined, and possibly a bit lazy, I stretched again, this time managing to brush the book's cover, but still not able to pull it down.

Third time's the charm, I thought, stretching up once again. Pushing my arm up as high as it could possibly go, I still was only able to brush the cover.

"Need some help there, Petunia?" Gideon's voice next to my ear surprised me, making me jump. And possibly squeak awkwardly.

"Gideon, you scared me!" I scolded, while he simply laughed. His laugh caused butterflies to take flight in my stomach.

"I'm sorry," he said, but didn't look sorry at all. "Which one were you trying to get?"

"Winogrand's Wondrous Water Plants," was my reply, to which he simply pulled it down and handed it to me. "Thank you. I suppose chivalry isn't dead, after all."

"It is one of Gryffindor's defining traits," he retorted nonchalantly. "And I would hate to be a disappointment to the House."

"You might do better if you don't scare the girl first, next time, that is," I pointed out, surprising myself with my somewhat flirty reply.

Apparently, so was Gideon, but the smile that broke across his face let me know he liked it. "I'll keep that in mind, for next time, of course. But I was actually wondering something about you."

"Really? About me? And what could you be wondering about me?" I couldn't help it. The smile on his face brought one to mine, especially once it broadened to make his eyes squint the tiniest bit.

"Well," Gideon said, leaning casually against the bookshelf, but still towering over me. "I was wondering if you had a date already for Hogsmeade."

The butterflies suddenly Transfigured into hippogriffs. A whole herd of them. "No, I don- Wait, actually, I do," I answered, the hippogriffs turning into a lead ball when I remembered Evander. "Evander Fawley asked me this morning, but only as friends," I hurried to explain, hating the disappointed look on his face. "He's trying to avoid Sylvia... Someone, and he asked me to keep her off him. I'm sorry."

"Evander asked you? But just to avoid someone else?" Gideon clarified. At my nod, he straightened up. "Well, your friend Lottie can go with him. She's fancied him for a while, so it would be a perfect fix."

"What if I wanted to go with Evander?" I had no idea where this coy creature came from, but it was a bit exciting.

Gideon looked startled for a moment, but when I couldn't keep the giggle in, he smirked. "But you don't," he said confidently. "You talk to Lottie, and I'll talk to Evander. And I will see you next Saturday in the Great Hall." He pushed off the shelf and started to walk away, pausing to swiftly press a kiss to my cheek. I watched, blushing fiercely, as he sauntered out of the library, whistling jauntily.

In a daze, I managed to make it back to my table, where Lily stared at me. "What was that?" she demanded, apparently having seen the entire exchange.

Madam Merryweather, who'd tried to tell Gideon off but had been ignored, turned on us. "This is a library, not a gossip center! Out!"

We quickly gathered our things and headed out, under her stern gaze the entire time. But it did nothing to dampen the hippogriffs that were flying free again. And once we were clear, Lily demanded the whole story, squealing appropriately in all the right places. "We'd better find Lottie," she said, dragging me off to my Common Room. And once we'd found her and told her the story, she was rather excited, too.

"But do you think Evander will be alright with it? After all, he asked you, Pet, not me," she said reasonably.

We found out the answer to her question the next morning at breakfast. The four of us in Hufflepuff had barely sat down at our table before Evander was sliding in next to Lottie. "Fair Lottie, would you do me the great honor of going to Hogsmeade with me? Especially since Petunia ditched me," he added with a grin to me.

"Um, yes. Yes, I'd love to," she replied, blushing prettily. I had to ignore the little twinge of annoyance that she managed to look so adorable while blushing.

"Fantastic! So I'll meet you here on Saturday. Have a good breakfast, ladies," he said, winking at all of us as he left.

Lottie let out a sigh, and Marly laughed. "It looks like it's just you and me, Tina, and Danae on Saturday. And Nic if he joins us."

"Actually, Marly, I have a date, too. Jonas Montgomery asked me last night," Tina apologized.

"Fine! Danae will be my date, and we will have a smashing time, without you lot!" she declared dramatically.

"When did I agree to be your date?" Danae asked, sliding between me and Tina.

"When this lot all got dates for Hogsmeade. With blokes," Marly replied in mock disgust.

"Oh no, not blokes! Anything but that!" Danae cried, with just as much drama as Marly had.

"And then you wonder why you don't have dates," Lottie teased.

"I have a date. Her name is Danae Fawley, and you should all be jealous," Marly pronounced.

"Oh, we are," I assured with a laugh. "But not enough to turn down a date with Gideon Prewett."

 **AN: Apparently, I'm a liar. But hopefully no one minds too much that I posted this way before I said I would. That said, I hope you like this chapter, with Petunia discovering how to flirt. And before anyone says that Gideon was too smooth for a Fifth Year, just remember his nephew, Fred, asking Angelina Johnson to the Yule Ball. Yeah, he was a Sixth Year, but I feel that there are distinct similarities between the two sets of twins. Anyway, thanks for reading, and definitely for those who followed/favorited. And to the guest who reviewed, don't worry, Mum does make it to Christmas. I love you all!**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

Gideon didn't wait for Saturday to see me again. At dinner on Thursday, he slipped into the empty seat next to mine, just as I was finishing my pudding. Grinning cheekily, he asked, "Would you like to go on a walk with me?"

Saying no wasn't an option, even if I'd wanted to, which I most assuredly didn't. Before I could reply, Lottie was practically pushing me out of my seat. "She would love to," Marly answered for me.

"We'll take your bag back to the dormitory," Tina told me. All three of them were grinning like madwomen. Not obvious at all.

"Thank you, ladies. I'll bring her back to you unscathed, I promise," Gideon said with his signature grin. Then, he took my arm and escorted me outside.

Having just come back from Herbology, I luckily still had my cloak and scarf with me, which Gideon scooped up for me before we left the table. He then proceeded to wrap me up in them in the entryway, batting my hands away playfully when I moved to do it myself. "We can't have you getting sick, now, can we? Especially before Saturday."

"What about you?" I asked, noting that he was simply wearing his robes. "Won't you get cold?"

"I'll be fine," he said, brushing off my concern. "Now, let's be off."

We wandered all over the grounds, eventually ending by the Black Lake, where he taught me how to skip rocks. I may have already known how to do so, but I didn't tell him that, not when it meant he had his arms around me for a bit to do so.

The two of us talked about our favorite classes (his: Transfiguration, mine: Herbology), favorite seasons (both: spring), favorite colors (his: green, mine: yellow). We talked about books, and our families, and anything that came to mind. By the time Gideon walked me back to my House, kissing my cheek again when he left, I felt like I knew him rather well, and I liked him even more than I had already. And I felt that I simply floated into my dormitory, where the girls were waiting anxiously for my report.

"Uh, you're so lucky, Pet," Lottie sighed, after I recited my entire evening for discussion. "He's obviously mad for you. I wish Evander would fancy me back."

"Just wait until Saturday, and you can have him all to yourself for the day," Tina assured.

…

Saturday dawned cold and frosty, bringing the hippogriffs in my stomach back with it. Lottie was in even more of a tizzy than either Tina or I was, fretting about which shoes to wear, and if she should plait her hair or leave it down.

Marly was a dear, helping the three of us get ready for our dates by finding shoes, scarves, and makeup that had somehow managed to scatter throughout our dorm room. Then, once we were all ready, she merely ran a brush through her hair and declared herself ready. "I'm almost glad I don't have a date," she quipped. "Then I don't have to worry about what I look like."

"But what if Henry Carlson sees you?" Lottie teased.

"Yeah, you wouldn't want him to see you when you don't look your best," Tina added.

"If Henry Carlson did notice me, it would be because of my Quidditch skills. He's not much into looks," she said loftily, but I did notice her sliding a lipstick into her pocket as we were leaving the room.

None of us girls who had dates could really eat anything, due to nerves and excitement, since it was all of our very first official dates. Before long, Jonas came to collect Tina, and then I saw Gideon and Evander walking our way, joking with each other. "He's so gorgeous," Lottie sighed, and I agreed, just not on the person.

"Hello, ladies," Gideon said again, his lovely grin firmly in place. "Are you all set to go, Petunia?"

"Of course," I replied, jumping up immediately and grabbing my cloak.

Lottie and Evander walked with us down to the village, but Gideon did manage to whisper "You look lovely, Petunia" in my ear privately, causing me to blush again.

But I managed to flirt back. "You don't look too bad yourself, Prewett," I teased. He grinned.

Honeydukes was our first stop, where Gideon insisted on buying me an entire box of Chocolate Frogs, though I wouldn't let him pay for Lily's fudge. By the time we were done, Lottie and Evander were playfully arguing the merits of Cauldron Cakes vs. Chocolate Cauldrons, so we left them and headed to Zonko's. "Sorry, I just have to pick up a few things. We're running out of dungbombs, and Fabian landed himself in detention, so he couldn't pick them up. I'll be quick," he promised, but I didn't mind. Simply because I didn't use their products didn't mean that I couldn't appreciate the genius behind them.

After Gideon got what he needed, and even bought me a few Sugar Quills to "make up for dragging you in", he slipped my arm through his and started walking. It didn't take long for me to realize where he was headed, and I planted my feet quickly, catching him off guard.

"Really? The Shrieking Shack? Again?" I asked, eyebrow raised. "Didn't you traumatize me enough last time we were there?"

He grinned at me, sliding his hand down to mine. "I promise I won't scare you again."

The puppy eyes he was giving me broke through my reserve. "Alright, but if a ghost comes out, I'm pushing you into its path."

Gideon's laugh boomed out, sending the hippogriffs tap dancing. "I will save you from any ghosts," he assured, now entwining his fingers with mine, tugging me gently to get me walking again.

We talked as we went, and I was amazed to find that we still had things to discuss, even after our walk two days previously. He was telling me a funny story about how he and Fabian had confused their sister when we got to the Shrieking Shack.

Simply looking at the abandoned building caused shivers to run down my spine. "Scared?" Gideon teased.

"Well, it is the most haunted building in Britain," I defended myself. "The Fat Friar couldn't even find nice words to describe the ghosts here, so you know they have to be bad."

He laughed. "I won't make you go in, I promise. I just wanted to come here for a little bit," he said, and I thought I might have caught a twinge of uncertainty, or possibly nervousness, in his voice.

Somehow, his hesitancy brought out my boldness. "Yeah? And why did you want to come here?" I asked, the flirtatious tone back in my voice.

Gideon moved a little closer to me, facing me now and taking my other hand in his, as well. "Last year, when we came here," he began, not answering me right away, "and you were so worried about my hand, that's when I knew."

"You knew what?" I whispered, hoping against hope that he would say what I thought he was going to.

Instead of answering, he dipped his head down and kissed me. It was quick, just a brush of lips, but it sent electricity shooting through me. "I knew I wanted you to be mine," he whispered, looking me in the eye again.

Grinning, I whispered, "Oh good," before stretching on tiptoe and kissing him again.

…

We went to Madam Puddifoot's tea shop for lunch, but after stepping into that pink monstrosity, we quickly left, heading to The Three Broomsticks. "I'm so sorry," I giggled, clutching Gideon's hand to keep me upright from laughing so hard. "One of the Sixth Years told me about it, and it sounded nice, but she left out all the frills."

"It looked like my sister's old doll house, but multiply the lace by about a thousand," he agreed, caught between laughter and horror.

The Three Broomsticks was a much better venue, and Gideon bought our lunch while I found a table. When he came to join me, he brought Max and his date with. "There's nowhere else available, hope you don't mind, Petunia," Max told me with a grin.

"Of course not," I told him, simply scooting closer to Gideon to make more room for the other two. I most definitely didn't mind that, at all.

Soon enough, the conversation turned to Quidditch, like it usually did with these boys, and I eagerly jumped in, bemoaning Hufflepuff's chances of winning the cup. Margaret, Max's date, however, kept rolling her eyes and trying to change to subject. "I really want to go to Gladrags," she whined at Max. "I need some new robes, and I heard they got some new French designs in. I have to get them before Cynthia Glau does."

"We'll get there," Max promised, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. It was all I could do to keep my grin hidden.

After twenty more minutes of Margaret's complaining about everything from the "low quality" of the food and service at here at The Three Broomsticks to the way the house elves ironed her robes, Gideon and I finally bade the happy couple goodbye. As we walked back up to the castle, Gideon kept me laughing, nearly in tears, with his spot-on impressions of Margaret. "And if those stupid elves can't get the creases on my robes right, I just might give them all clothes," he finished, in a ridiculously high-pitched voice.

"Poor Max," I finally managed to squeak out.

"Oh, don't pity him," Gideon brushed my worry aside. "That's what he gets for asking a bird out who only has a pretty face."

"Really? And what does that make you?" I asked, stopping in my tracks, playfully mad.

"A bloke who was lucky enough to win a bird with a pretty face and a brain," he told me, tugging me closer again. "Not to mention she's one of the nicest people I've ever met," he added, just before kissing me again.

Eventually, Gideon took me back to my House, kissing me one last time before letting me go. "Can I see you tomorrow?" he asked, still holding onto my hand.

"I'll be studying in the library with Lily in the morning, but the afternoon's free," I told him, unable to keep the smile from my face.

"Not anymore it's not," he grinned. "I'll see you at dinner then."

Once again, I all but floated into my dorm. I was sure that my feet didn't even touch the ground. Until I saw Lottie crying on her bed. That brought me down with a thump.

"What happened?" I asked, only pausing to throw my things onto my bed before hurrying over to her.

"It seems that Evander doesn't share her feelings," Marly whispered, petting Lottie's hair soothingly.

"You told him?" I asked, sitting on her other side.

"It was awful!" she wailed from inside her pillow. "The day was going so well, and then I suggested Madam Puddifoot's for lunch, and he practically ran from me! But only after telling me that it wasn't that kind of date, and that he only had friendly feelings for me! He hates me now!"

"Well, Madam Puddifoot's is sort of terrible, so maybe he just wanted to avoid it," I said, trying to salvage something for her.

It didn't work. Lottie pulled herself up from her pillow only to glare at me. "Yes, that's it. He was only running from the idea of Madam Puddifoot's. The fact that he thinks of me as another little sister had nothing to do with it!"

Marly and I winced in unison. "I'm sorry, Lottie," I told her, hugging her fiercely.

"There will be other boys," Marly added. "And I know for a fact that Davey Gudgeon has been watching you wistfully for the past three weeks."

"Really? Davey is rather dishy," Lottie replied, wiping her eyes.

"Yes, he is," I agreed, though only to encourage her.

"Oh, we all know you only have eyes for a certain redheaded Fifth Year," she teased me. "You don't have to agree just to make me feel better. And now you have to tell us all about your date."

I tried to protest, feeling bad about the way hers had ended in contrast with mine, but both of my friends insisted. "If anything can make me feel better, it'll be hearing about how happy you are," Lottie guaranteed. So I relented, telling them about how adorable Gideon had been just before kissing me in particular.

After my tale was told, Marly sighed dramatically. "Ah, you two are so adorable! I'm so happy for you!"

"I can see it now," Lottie said, sounding exactly the way she always did when imitating the Divination teacher, Professor Blythe. "You will grow up and marry, and seven little redheads will join your happy abode." She ignored my startled outburst of " _Seven_!" and continued on. "You will live long lives together, watching your children and their children. He will work for the Ministry, and you will be the perfect housewife, and nothing will ever mar your happiness!"

"Lottie, are you sure you haven't hit your head recently?" I asked in faux concern. "Because you're babbling!"

She answered with a pillow in my face.

The afternoon couldn't pass quickly enough that day. After the fifth time checking the clock in an hour, I jumped up from the couch in the common room, pulling my friends with me. It was finally an appropriate time to go to dinner, and I was more than ready to head to the Great Hall. "You just want to see your new boyfriend," Tina teased. "Food has nothing to do with this."

"Can you blame her?" Lottie asked, coming to my defense. "He is rather gorgeous."

"Who's gorgeous?" a voice questioned, just outside the doorway. Nic was there, apparently waiting for us.

"Pet's new boyfriend," Tina sang.

Nic whirled on me. "You're dating Prewett now?" he spat, rather accusingly.

His venom stung. I didn't expect him to be jumping for joy, but I'd thought he would at least be happy for me. "Yes, I am," I stated, pulling myself up as tall as I could. I'd not realized how tall Nic had gotten, but now that his ire was aimed at me, he was a bit intimidating.

Nic stared hard at me for a moment, before turning his back on me and storming away.

I was stunned. Tears were pricking my eyes, and I was suddenly shaking. Nic had a temper, I'd known that, but never once had it ever been turned on me. "What was that all about?" Tina asked, breaking the silence.

"Come on, Pet, let's just get to dinner. You'll feel better after seeing Gideon," Marly said, slipping her arm around my waist and guiding me to dinner.

Gideon was waiting for me, leaning against the wall across from the Great Hall, and he grinned when he saw me, though it quickly faded. "What's wrong, Petunia?" he asked worriedly.

"Nic yelled at her for dating you," Tina explained.

The worried frown on Gideon's face turned into a glower. "Nic Selwyn? I thought he was your friend."

"He is," I assured quickly. "He is, but I don't understand why he's so angry with me for dating you."

Lottie coughed, and Marly snorted. "Really, Pet, it's not that hard to figure out. He's been in love with you since you stood up to him in Potions," Marly told me.

"He's not in love with me," I sighed. "It doesn't matter. Let's just go in and eat, yes?"

Gideon looked like he would rather go find my friend and give him a talking to, one that involved fists rather than words, but he followed when I slipped my hand into his and tugged.

Over the next week, Nic took to avoiding me everywhere we went. Even in Arithmancy, where we'd always sat together, he rather pointedly sat with one of his fellow Slytherins, leaving me alone. It wasn't until Saturday, when Danae dragged him into the library, that he finally talked to me.

Gideon had joined me and Lily in our study session, and Fabian had tagged along, as well. Fabian was even helping Lily, giving her handy jinxes to use the next time Potter started in on her again and explaining the difference hexes, jinxes, and curses for her Defense essay, while Gideon "helped" me with my Transfiguration homework. Mostly he was just doodling on my parchment, tickling me with his quill, and explaining the theory a bit here and there. Then suddenly, Danae was shoving Nic at our table, startling us all. "Now, tell her what you just told me," she demanded, looking stern, and even a bit frightening, to be honest.

Nic glared back at her, but then turned to me. "I'm sorry, Pet, for being such a-"

"Bloody prat," Danae supplied helpfully. She got another glare.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you-"

"And ignoring you all week." This time it was Gideon who helped him out. He also got a glare, one that was much more heated than the one aimed at Danae.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Nic told me softly, trying to ignore the others around us. "I'm sorry, Pet. Forgive me?"

Fabian let out a rather loud snort, but I ignored him. "Of course, Nic. You're my friend," I told him, before hugging him quickly. Then, I turned to Gideon, taking his hand and pulling him up to stand by me. "So, Nic, I'd like you to meet my boyfriend, Gideon Prewett. Gideon, my good friend, Nic Selwyn. Now, play nicely, boys. Oh, and that's Fabian, Gideon's brother."

Fabian pretended to be offended at me leaving him out, but I was a bit preoccupied with the two boys in front of me. After all, they were the most important boys in my life, and I wanted them to get along. They simply stared at each other for a moment, before Gideon relented. "Selwyn," he said, holding out his hand congenially.

"Prewett," Nic replied, taking the proffered hand. "Just make sure you don't hurt her," he said after a moment.

"I won't," Gideon promised. "You make sure you don't hurt her."

Both boys nodded, and everything went back to normal. Nic spent time with us all, but mostly when Gideon wasn't around. But I did notice that Gideon tended to wrap an arm around me, pulling me closer to him, whenever Nic came over. After everything that happened, I couldn't help but realize that Nic did fancy me, though we all pretended otherwise. It was simply easier that way.

 **AN: I probably should have put some sort of fluff warning at the beginning of the chapter, but I couldn't resist. Gideon is just too cute to ignore or put off any longer. There will be plenty more of the Prewett twins, don't worry. I have a lot of fun writing them, and they'll be in Petunia's life for quite a while yet. Thanks to all who've followed and favorited since the last chapter. A big thanks to PurpleReader29, guest, nene, and A.G.W. for their reviews. They make my day!**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

We had a Hogsmeade visit the last weekend before Christmas holiday. I was going with Gideon, of course, and the rest of my friends had dates, as well. The four of us in Hufflepuff found ourselves in the Great Hall for breakfast a bit earlier than usual, due to our excitement. I had just finished a bite of toast when I felt arms encircling my shoulders from behind. I then turned my head for the kiss on my cheek I'd come to expect. "Good morning, Gid- Fabian, what on earth are you doing?" I screeched, throwing my boyfriend's twin's arms off me.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked, completely flabbergasted.

I couldn't tell him, without him utterly taking the mickey out of me, that he smelled differently and even felt a bit differently than his brother. Fast thinking was required here, and thankfully, I was up to the task. "Your freckle," I told him. "Gideon's is on the left, yours is on the right. It's easy."

"Now that that is cleared up, what were you doing on my girl?" Gideon had come up as I was speaking, and he slid onto the bench next to me, taking my hand as naturally as anything. It caused those hippogriffs in my stomach to tango every time he did it.

"I was just making sure she really liked you for you, instead of just the famous Prewett charm and looks," Fabian explained blithely. "And not to worry, she likes you. I have no idea why, but she does. I approve."

"You're just now approving of me?" I asked, eyebrows raised. Fabian simply grinned.

"I thought you approved all along," Gideon protested. "Since you helped me all last year."

"Oh, I did. But now I have absolutely no reservations. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to find my date. Mustn't leave a bird like Selina Grant waiting," Fabian said with a wink, before disappearing.

I then turned to my boyfriend. "What did you mean, he helped you all last year? What did he help you with?"

Surprisingly, Gideon turned a bit pink. "Are you ready to go? The shops are going to be crowded today, so we should get a head start," he said, tugging on my hand to pull me up.

I let him evade the question until we were outside and alone on the path down to the village. "So, what were you talking about?"

Gideon still looked a bit uncomfortable. "Have I told you yet today how beautiful you look?"

"Thank you, but that's still not going to let you off the hook," I laughed.

He grinned ruefully. "It was worth a try," he told me, pulling me closer to put his arm around my shoulders. "We were talking about how much he helped me to get to know you better last year. He asked you girls to lunch with us that time in the village for me, and then again after the Quidditch match. Fabian did it to help me spend time with you, get to know you. Even Max was in on it, though I am a bit surprised still that he managed to keep it under wraps and not blab about it."

Gideon's explanation was cut off a bit when I started laughing. At his rather confused look, I said, "So that's what that was all about! Lottie was convinced that Fabian fancied Marly, since he kept inviting us along to things. She was utterly certain that they were soulmates and he was just too shy to do anything about it."

Gideon laughed, too. "No, Fab is never shy, and he actually fancies someone else. Or possibly two someones. He's like a niffler, always distracted by something shiny."

"As long as his brother isn't," I teased.

"Oh, he is. He just found the shiniest treasure two years ago and never lost sight of it," he told me, grinning cheekily, but I knew him well enough to see the sincerity behind the cheek. So I simply kissed him quickly, before tugging him on down the road for Christmas shopping.

…

Our compartment on the train ride home for the holiday got a bit crowded. Gideon, Fabian, and Max joined us girls for the whole ride, and Lily and Severus popped in for a bit. It was a very short bit, since Severus kept complaining about the lack of space, before Lily dragged him out again. Evander even showed up for a while, but when Lottie started flirting outrageously with Fabian, he quickly left.

"So, Gideon, are you gonna meet Pet's parents today?" Marly asked mischievously.

I heard more than saw Gideon's gulp, since I was sitting on his lap, to make more room for the others, of course. "Um, yes, you did say your dad wanted to meet me, didn't you, Pet?" he asked me nervously.

I took pity on him. After all, I was his first girlfriend, as well. "Yes, but you don't have to if you don't want to."

"No, no, I want to." His voice was a bit higher than normal, betraying his words.

"Admit it, Gid, you're terrified," his twin taunted, pointing at him with a licorice wand. "But just think, Petunia's still got to meet Molly, so I think it's a fair trade."

"I thought you said your sister was sweet, nice," I said to my boyfriend in confusion.

"Oh, she is. But also more than a bit protective," he replied sheepishly.

"And she rather nearly raised us, so she does an excellent impression of a mother hen," Fabian added gleeflully.

"But she just had Charlie, she's not up to Apparating just yet, so Arthur's the one who'll be waiting for us," Gideon hurried to say.

Fabian laughed. "Which is lucky for you, Petunia, since Arthur's about as harmless as a fly. But he's good to Molly, so that's all that matters."

When Gideon nodded solemnly, I could see that protectiveness didn't end with Molly in the Prewett family. I only hoped that I would pass the test I felt sure she was going to give me when we did meet.

We all survived Gideon meeting Dad, who merely glared at my boyfriend for a moment, until Mum burst out laughing. She hugged Gideon and told him was welcome in our house anytime, at which point she nudged Dad to get him to grudgingly agree. Gideon laughed, quite nervously, then hugged me carefully before leaving to find Fabian and their brother-in-law. Dad glared after him for a while. In fact, he didn't even realize we'd left him until we were about twenty feet away.

On the way home from the station, Mum demanded I tell her all about Gideon, what he was like, our dates, et cetera. I obliged, and Lily pitched in, gushing about how he'd helped her in with Transfiguration and how brilliant he was at Quidditch. That was what got Dad. If there was one thing that would immediately get his approval, it was sports. He might not have completely understood this particular one, but if it was a sport, especially a competitive one, Dad loved it. Which meant he finally accepted Gideon. And I didn't care what it took, as long as he did.

...

Meeting us at the train station seemed to take it all out of Mum, so we all stayed close to home that holiday. Lily and I did the baking mostly, with Mum's supervision, of course. And we made sure she was well supplied with cocoa, the one thing she said would always taste good, no matter the situation, even with her treatments.

Christmas morning, I woke to an owl tapping on my window. I recognized Errol, Gideon's bird he shared with Fabian, so I quickly let him in and removed the package. He hooted softly, expectantly, making me laugh. "Fabian's been spoiling you too much," I said, while handing him a few owl treats. "You're going to get too fat to fly soon."

Lily came bursting into my room. "Did Gideon send you a present?" she asked excitedly.

"Of course he did," Mum said from the doorway. "He's a good boyfriend, after all."

"Well, you'll just have to open it with all the rest of us watching on," Dad told me, coming up behind Mum and wrapping his arms around her. "So it had best not be anything inappropriate."

"You did get him something, didn't you, Tuney?" Lily whispered as we all headed downstairs. "After all, it is your first holiday as a couple, and it's terrible manners to not."

"Yes, Lils, I did. I ordered it by owl-order, so it should be getting to him this morning, as well," I laughed. "And how do you know what's good manners in a relationship? You're twelve!"

"Almost thirteen," she retorted. "And Alice has older cousins who know all about it. They told us."

"Yes, well, you're not allowed a boyfriend or even dates until Fourth Year," Dad grumbled.

"That's not fair! I'll be fourteen in Third, and Tuney started dating when she was fourteen!" she argued.

"Well, tough. I would have made it later, but you can thank your sister for setting precedence, and your Mum for insisting I let you," he groused back.

"Fine," she retorted.

The grumpiness didn't last for long, however, once we were all gathered in the lounge with the Christmas tree. Lily happily handed out presents one at a time, and we all oohed and awed at each one. Then, finally, Dad let me open mine from Gideon.

I opened the note, which simply said "To Pet, I hope you like it," and then quickly unwrapped it. Lily was beside me, and she may or may not have helped with pulling off the paper. Once uncovered, the box magically unfolded, revealing the tiniest, most perfect kitten I'd ever seen, who immediately meowed and licked my hand.

"Oh, he is good," Mum breathed, while Dad glared at my new kitten.

"How am I supposed to dislike him when he does this?" he groused, but I ignored him. After all, I had a perfect little ball of black fur to love and adore.

"So, Tuney, what are you going to call her?" Lily asked, seeming just as enthralled as I was with the new addition to our family.

"I think, hm, I think she looks like an Elaine," I pronounced firmly. "To go with Morgana, of course."

"Of course," Dad laughed. "Because every witch needs a black cat as a familiar."

"Well, I hope whatever you got Gideon was good, because this was perfect," Lily decided.

"He'd better like the new gloves I got for him. They cost five Galleons!" I told her.

Dad seemed a bit confused. "You got him gloves?"

"For Quidditch. I got him new gloves for Quidditch."

…

Gideon invited me over for tea on Boxing Day, and even through his note, I could tell he was nervous. Which, of course, made me even more nervous. Mum at first tried to tell me I had nothing to worry about, but it didn't really help. So, instead, she merely smiled and helped me fix my hair, marveling at the effects the Sleekeazy's had. "It's so straight! And you look so grown up! Oh, when did my girls grow up?"

"Mum, if you don't stop fussing, Tuney's gonna be late!" Lily interjected.

"Oh, of course. It wouldn't do to have you arrive late," Mum said briskly, giving my hair one last pat. I caught Lily's eye and winked in thanks. She merely grinned back, though making sure Mum didn't catch it, of course.

I Flooed to the Burrow, Gideon's house, and nearly tumbled out of the fireplace onto a toddler. "Bill, you shouldn't stand directly in front of the fire," Gideon scolded, somehow managing to catch me as well as his nephew.

"Geen!" the little boy squealed.

"Yes, the fire was green. That's because Petunia here Flooed. The fire turns green whenever we use the Floo," he explained, kissing me quickly, after making sure no one else was around to see. "Now, Bill, I want you to meet Petunia. She's my girlfriend."

The little boy studied me intensely, before burrowing his head in Gideon's neck. "Hello, Bill. It's nice to meet you," I said conversationally, softly smoothing his hair back.

"C'mon, mate. You'll like Petunia," Gideon cajoled. "She's really pretty, and you like pretty things." He caught my eye as I blushed, smirking a bit.

His coaxing seemed to work, however, since Bill's little face slowly peeked up at me. He studied me once again, then suddenly lunged for me. Thankfully, between Gideon and me, we managed to not drop him.

That seemed to be the end of Bill's shyness. He babbled incessantly, tugging on my hair in fascination. "Yewwow," he said, pulling of in front of my eyes.

"Yes, Pet's hair is yellow, mate. What color is yours?" Fabian asked him, joining us in the room.

"Wed!" the toddler cried triumphantly.

"Aren't you a smart boy?" I cooed.

"I thought I heard a feminine voice in here. Gideon, why didn't you tell me Petunia had arrived?"

I turned to see a lovely woman walking in the room. She was about my size and curvy, with hair the exact same shade of red as Gideon's. "Hello, Petunia. I'm Molly, big sister to these two idiots," she said, fondly ignoring their protests. "And I see that you've met Bill, already."

"Actually, I almost tripped over him," I confessed. "I'm still not quite used to Floo, and exiting has never been my strongest point."

"Oh, not to worry, dear. Every now and then I still have a problem with it, especially when I was only a few months… Well, don't worry. We all have problems with it sometimes," she told me kindly.

"Mumma, yewwow!" Bill shouted, throwing my hair up. "Yewwow!"

"You'd think he doesn't see any other hair color," Molly said with a smile.

"Have you looked around lately, Molls?" Fabian asked sarcastically. "It's not like there's a whole lot of variety here."

"Yewwow! Mumma, yewwow!" Bill repeated emphatically.

"Yes, darling, Petunia's hair is yellow," she replied. "It's lovely, isn't it?"

"Pwetty!"

"Look out there, Gid. You just might have some competition," Fabian teased.

Gideon replied by wrapping an arm around me. "Sorry, mate," he told Bill. "But you're a bit too young. And I saw her first."

"Give it a few years," I whispered to Bill. "Then you might have a chance."

Gideon dropped his arm from me in a show of faux shocked betrayal, while Fabian and Molly laughed. "I like this one, Gid. Make sure you take good care of her," his sister told him with a huge smile. "Why don't we go eat? Tea's ready."

Arthur joined us at the table where a lovely meal was waiting for us. Bill refused to leave my arms, so I sat with him on my lap and Gideon next to me. Throughout the meal, Bill kept babbling to me, and he would get upset if I stopped paying attention to him, even for a moment. And Gideon kept trying to pull my interest away. Mostly he would talk to me, but every now and then, he would play dirty by sliding his hand on my knee, or tickling my side, or sliding his foot along my leg. I tried to ignore him, especially since I wanted to make a good impression on his older sister, but it was rather difficult.

"Why don't you show Petunia the garden, Gideon?" Molly suggested after the meal. "I think she would like the view."

"Yes, the view of snow," Fabian added. "Snow everywhere-" Molly's hand lightly slapping the back of his head changed his tune. "It's lovely this time of year."

Arthur came and peeled Bill out of my arms, though the little boy screamed the whole time. "It's bed time, Billy boy," he said, trying to soothe his cries.

"As soon as he can't see you, he'll be fine," Molly assured me, though I still felt awful.

Gideon pulled me outside, after tucking me into one of his warm, cozy jumpers. "I'll keep you warm if you need more," he teased, causing me to blush once again.

Gideon led me outside, then out to the orchard. "I've missed you," he told me, wrapping his arms around me. "A week is far too long."

"I agree," I murmured, draping my arms around his neck and tangling my fingers in his hair. "Oh, I forgot to thank you for my present."

"You like it?" he asked, seeming a bit anxious.

"I love Elaine. She's perfect," I replied.

"Elaine?" Gideon was confused for a moment, then he grinned. "Elaine, like The Lady of Shalott?"

"Well, I had to keep with the Arthurian theme for my pets," I answered logically. "It goes perfectly with Morgana. Anyway, how did you like your present?"

"The gloves were brilliant," he grinned. "Thank you."

A gust of wind blew through the orchard, making me shiver. "I can't let you get cold, now, can I?" Gideon asked cheekily, pulling his coat around me, as well. "I would feel just awful if you got sick."

"Yeah?" I asked coquettishly. "Well, I can't have you feeling bad. And I think I know how I can make you feel better."

"And how's that?"

The words were barely out of Gideon's mouth before I was up on my tiptoes, pulling his head closer to mine. My lips pressed against his, and I could feel him grinning before kissing me back.

…

I couldn't feel my toes when we finally headed back inside, but I was not about to complain. We walked into the kitchen just in time to hear Fabian complain, "You were supposed to be scary, Molls! Why was there no mama bear?"

"Because, Fab, Gid isn't like you. He didn't chose a girl who's not good enough for him," Molly quipped back. Then, in baby talk, she continued. "I quite like Petunia. So will you, Charlie. Just wait until you meet her."

Gideon grinned at me. "Sounds like Charlie's up now. Ready to win over another Prewett male?"

The last hour or so of my time there was spent with Charlie, Molly's two week old baby, happily holding onto a lock of my hair, while Gideon kept his arm around me, playing with his nephew. And then, when Bill woke, Fabian got him up, after which, the toddler climbed onto my lap and tried to compete with his brother.

"Alright, my boys, I've got to go home now," I told the children, and my boyfriend. All three whined, though Charlie was probably only crying because his brother was.

Molly chuckled, taking her baby back. "C'mon, Bill. Petunia has to go home to her Mummy, now."

"Nooooo, stay!" he cried. "Stay, Too!"

I gave him one last hug, then Arthur laughingly pulled him off me again. "Thank you for coming, Petunia. It was nice seeing you again," he told me, over the sounds of his son crying.

"Yes, dear, it was so lovely to meet you," Molly said, hugging me tightly with one arm, then gently pulling my hair out of Baby Charlie's grasp. "You are welcome to come over any time."

"Thank you for having me," I replied. "Tea was lovely."

"Oh, you are so sweet!" she gushed. "Take care, and do try to keep my boys out of trouble, will you?"

"I'll try," I laughed. "But I don't think that's really possible."

"Of course not," Gideon replied. "Life's no fun following the rules."

"Exactly!" Fabian added.

"Good luck," Molly said with a laugh, hugging me one last time.

"See you back at school, Pet," Fabian told me, surprising me with a hug.

Gideon tugged me back to the lounge, back to the fireplace. "Are you sure you have to leave now?" he asked me, pulling me into his arms and smiling down at me enticingly.

"Yes, I do," I replied, snuggling closer. "But five minutes more won't hurt."

He grinned knowingly. "Then we'd better make the most of those five minutes."

It wasn't until I was back at home when I discovered that I was still wearing Gideon's jumper. I grinned, and cuddled deeper into it.

 **AN: I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to get this chapter up! My muse curled up and died for a while, and then life got a bit crazy. And then this chapter was more than a little difficult to write. Hopefully I got Molly down. She was a lot of fun to write. And baby Bill! We'll see more of them, don't you worry! Thanks to all my followers, and a huge thank you to nene and PurpleReader29 for their reviews! Love to all of you!**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Dad scowled when he saw Gideon's jumper on me, but Mum simply smiled knowingly. And Gideon's grin when he saw me wearing it on the train definitely made Dad's scowls and grumbles worth it. I took to wearing it on the weekends, since it was so cozy, and it never failed to bring a smile to my boyfriend's face.

"I don't know why he likes it so much," I said to Lottie, at the end of February. "It's comfortable, yes, but it's so big and not the most flattering color on me." After all, the forest green jumper clashed with the pale green of my eyes.

"Darling, you look amazing in any color, and besides, that's not why he like seeing you in it." Lottie's response sounded like it was the most obvious thing in the world, but I really had no idea, and told her so. "Pet, the reason Gideon likes seeing you in his jumper is because it's his. It tells the whole school that you are his girl, especially the other blokes. I mean, it has a huge G on it, for Merlin's sake! It's like he's got his name stamped on you, practically."

That made sense. After all, Gideon did tend to get rather… unhappy when other boys talked to me. But he really didn't have anything to worry about. He was the boy I'd fancied since Second Year, and that wasn't going to change anytime soon.

That afternoon, Gideon and I spent time together in the library, where I was finishing my Potions essay and he was supposed to be working on his Herbology homework. He ended up trying to braid my hair, which was more than a little distracting to me, though I did manage to concentrate enough to finish my work. Just as I was packing up my bag, he finally spoke, sounding a bit nervous. "Hey, Pet, I had something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" My curiosity was instantly piqued. His normal confidence was missing, so I knew this was something important to him.

"I was wondering… that is… Well, my next match is next weekend, and I was wondering if you would wear my scarf to it, for luck, of course," he ended in a rush.

"Oh." That was most definitely not expected. "But your next match is against Hufflepuff, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"I can't," I replied slowly. "I mean, I know we're going to lose, but that's not the point. I have to support my house. I can't cheer for you when you're playing my House. Any other time, of course I would, but I can't this time."

"You can't support your boyfriend." Disappointment mingled with disbelief in his voice and on his face.

"You can't expect me to cheer against my own House!" I cried, feeling that he was being rather unreasonable about the whole thing. "Loyalty is one of our defining traits, after all!"

"Shouldn't I have your loyalty, too? Is that too much to ask from my girlfriend?"

"You shouldn't ask me to cheer against my own House! I shouldn't have to ask you not to do that!"

We stared at each other, breathing hard, for a moment, before Gideon muttered, "Maybe we don't know each other as well as we thought we did."

"Maybe not," I retorted, then grabbed my bag and fled from the library. The tears threatened, but I didn't let them fall. At least not until I made it back to the Hufflepuff Common Room. Tina was there, chatting with one of the Fifth Year prefects, and she smiled when she saw me, though it quickly faded. "Pet, what's wrong?"

"I think Gideon and I just broke up!" I sobbed.

Tina swiftly gathered me into her arms and led me to our dorm room. The other girls were there already, and looked startled to see me in tears. "What happened?" Lottie cried, moving with Marly to my bed, where Tina had deposited me.

I related the story to my friends, and they hurried to comfort me. Marly left for a few minutes, then came back with an armful of biscuits. "Auggie told me how to get into the kitchens," she explained quickly. "And a situation like this requires chocolate." The rest of the night was spent eating as much chocolate as humanly possible, and the girls attempting to cheer me up.

...

Gideon and I avoided each other for the next five days, and I missed him dreadfully. The girls and I stayed in the Common Room at all times, only leaving for classes and meals, though I didn't really eat much. I tried to avoid looking in his direction, but part of me was always drawn to see where he was in the Great Hall, and he looked as miserable as I felt.

"Pet, you're being ridiculous," Danae told me Friday evening. She had come to sit with us at dinner, and had caught me glancing toward the Gryffindor table, for the fifth time in as many minutes. "You can support your House and your boyfriend. It's not a mutually exclusive thing, you know."

"What do you mean? He's playing against my House. How am I supposed to cheer him on when he's playing against my Housemates, one of my best friends even?"

"You think it's one or the other, when it doesn't have to be," she told me gently. "You can do both. Just wear his scarf and yours. After all, it's not like you wouldn't cheer when he makes goals, anyway. Now, quit being ridiculous and go make up with your boyfriend, already. I can't stand seeing the two of you so miserable without each other."

I hesitated, but her words made sense. I then turned to Marly. "You wouldn't hate me if I cheered Gideon on, too, would you?"

"I don't think there's anything that could make me hate you, Pet," she laughed. "And if it makes you happy, and Gideon happy, cheer for him all you want. We're Hufflepuffs. We're pretty forgiving. Go talk to him."

"But what if he doesn't want me anymore?" This, more than anything else, had me frozen to me seat.

"Darling, that boy is head over heels for you," Lottie said sternly. "And he's been miserable without you. Apparently, he's been such a mess that he can't even make easy shots in Quidditch practice. And as much as I'd love to see Hufflepuff win for once, I don't want it to be from that. Go."

Making up my mind, I stood up. "You're sure he still wants me?" I asked Lottie.

"Absolutely. Go get him," she encouraged.

I was still a bit frozen, so Tina pushed me out. "You'll never find out for sure if you don't go now."

"Right." With that, I resolutely marched over to the Gryffindor table. Fabian was glaring at me a bit as I came to stand by them, and Max looked relieved, but I couldn't read Gideon's expression, which was a first. "Gideon, can I talk to you?" I asked softly.

He stared at me for a moment, before jerkily nodding. "Why don't we go somewhere private?"

We walked to a nearby empty classroom, side by side, but silent. My hand ached to reach out for his, but I couldn't. I didn't know how he would take it, and I had to talk to him before I could do anything like that.

Once in the room with the door shut, I slowly turned to face Gideon. I took a deep breath, then blurted out, "I'm sorry!"

But I wasn't the only one to say it. We both laughed, rather nervously, before Gideon said, "I'm sorry, Pet. I shouldn't have tried to make you choose between your House and me. It wasn't fair of me to do it. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry, too, Gid. I made it into a huge ordeal, when it was really just a little thing. And I can support my House and cheer for you. They aren't mutually exclusive," I told him, stepping closer.

A tentative smile slid onto his face. "Does that mean you forgive me?"

"Only if you forgive me," I answered, with a smile of my own.

"Oh, thank Merlin!" Gideon exclaimed, wrapping his arms around me. "I've bloody missed you, Pet."

Laughing, I stretched up to my tiptoes. "I missed you, too," I said, before kissing him softly.

When we walked back into the Great Hall holding hands fifteen minutes later, we heard, "About bloody time!" from both Marly and Max. I blushed, having so many eyes on me, but Gideon simply beamed, wrapped his arms around my waist, and kissed me deeply. "You are adorable when you blush," he whispered after he finally pulled back.

"Mr. Prewett, Miss Evans, as happy as I am that you're apparently back together," Professor McGonagall said sternly, the only hint of her happiness being the twinkle in her eye, "I must ask you to refrain from such displays of affection in public."

"So you're telling us we need to go somewhere private. Right. Thanks, Professor," Gideon said cheekily, pulling me from the Great Hall.

"You had both better be in your Common Rooms by curfew!" The teacher's voice, accompanied by many others' laughing, trailed behind us.

"Where are you taking me, Gid?" I laughingly asked, after he'd led me up to the seventh floor.

His answering grin was beautiful. "You'll see," was all he would tell me. We passed a tapestry of what appeared to be a wizard trying to teach trolls ballet, then he paced in front of a blank wall, pulling me along. Just as I was about to question him again, a door appeared.

Gideon laughed at the awed look I had, then led me into the room beyond the door. "Welcome to the Room of Requirement," he said, watching my face for my reaction.

I didn't disappoint, since my jaw dropped. The room was a cozy lounge, a squashy couch in front of a merrily crackling fire. "This room turns into whatever you want," Gideon explained.

"Whatever I want?" I repeated, looking around in wonder.

"Yeah, Fab and I were running from Filch, the new caretaker, after he found us planting dungbombs in his office. It was a welcome to Hogwarts present, ya know?" he said with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, we took off, and he was right behind us all throughout the castle. The legs on that man! I swear, if Fab and I weren't on the Quidditch team and forced to run to stay in shape, we would have been done for. But somehow we managed to lose him up here, but we could hear him coming, so we needed someplace to hide. And suddenly, there was a door where there hadn't been one before, leading into a broom cupboard. We hid out here for an hour or so, just listening for Filch, but once he left, we played around with it, just seeing what it could do for us. It took a bit, but we figured it out. Like, for instance, how to keep anybody else from coming in," he added, his grin more than a bit mischievous as he then sat down, pulling me into his lap. "So it's just me and you for as long as we want."

I smiled back flirtatiously, wrapping my arms around his neck. "That sounds lovely. But what on earth could we possibly do in here all by ourselves?" I asked, looking around in mock confusion.

Gideon's brief look of shock was priceless, as was his beaming in happiness that followed. "Merlin, you're fantastic," he murmured, before kissing me deeply.

After several minutes of kissing, he pulled back, nuzzling into my neck instead. "I missed this," he said softly. "I missed you. As pathetic as that sounds, the past five days were awful."

"I know," I agreed, turning my head a bit to kiss his. "Let's not fight anymore. I can't handle it."

Gideon lifted his face, grinning again. "Agreed." This time, I kissed him.

It was most definitely after curfew when he led me back to the Hufflepuff common room. "I told you I'd get you to break a rule one day," he said, immediately bringing to my mind a conversation we'd had the year before.

"You still remember that?" I asked, immensely pleased.

"Of course," Gideon told me, acting like he was shocked that I would think otherwise. "I remember everything you've said to me."

The only proper response to that was to kiss him, yet again.

…

Seeing as Gideon had a Quidditch match the next morning, we probably shouldn't have stayed out so late, but it had been worth it. And having him hurry over to the Hufflepuff table, drape his Gryffindor scarf around my neck, and kiss me quickly as his captain was yelling at him to hurry was worth every moment of Professor McGonagall's following scolding of what constitutes proper behavior in the Great Hall.

The match was a good one, surprisingly. At least our Chasers gave Max something to do for once. But Gid and Fabian were spectacular. Even the commentator, Slytherin Fifth Year Reginald Markwell, noticed. "Apparently, Gideon Prewett's dating life affects his playing skills, since he's in better form after getting back together with his girlfriend than had been reported all week." Professor McGonagall loudly reprimanded him.

And then Fabian "accidentally" missed the quaffle that Gideon threw to him, letting it smash directly into Markwell's face. Madam Hooch didn't even call a foul on them, claiming to not have seen it.

Just as the laughter was dying down, a first year cried out. "McKinnon's seen the Snitch!"

My head swung up in time to see my friend streaking across the pitch. Gryffindor's Seeker, Patty Sterling, was on her way, as well, though everyone could see that Marly was going to get there first. The Snitch swerved upwards suddenly, but Marly matched it, pulling it out of the air with a broad grin on her face.

"McKinnon catches the Snitch, giving Hufflepuff an additional one hundred and fifty points, bringing them up to two hundred and twenty, but Gryffindor wins, with three hundred and ninety points!" McGonagall crowed, happily taking over for Markwell, since he'd been taken to the hospital wing with a broken nose.

My friends and I poured onto the field to where Marly was just landing, still with the Snitch in her hand. "You did it!" we all cried, hugging her.

"And what about me?" Gideon's voice in my ear caused me to turn automatically. "Don't I deserve some congratulations for all those-"

Throwing my arms around him and kissing him was a rather effective way to get him to shut up. "Congrats, Gid," I whispered, several moments later.

"What about me?" Fabian pouted. "I'm the one who let the quaffle smash that tosser. I should get something for it."

Laughing, I hugged him, too. "Thanks, Fab."

"You're welcome," he grinned back at me, before growing serious for a moment. "Just don't hurt him again."

"Never," I promised, using the crowd around us to keep our conversation private.

"Party in the common room!" Gideon yelled, picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

Fabian and Max herded my friends after us, even Marly who was still in her Quidditch gear. "So are we, little sister," Max told her, dragging her along. "Now, come on!"

Somehow, the entire Hufflepuff Quidditch team found their way into Gryffindor's celebratory party, but none of them seemed to mind all that much. Particularly not Jameson, the captain, who was spotted with her arms around Gryffindor's captain, Farley. "Well, that was not something I would have ever predicted," Fabian laughed. "Especially not with all the threats she kept giving him if we showed up too early on the pitch."

"No, she's fancied him for ages, just didn't know how to go about it," Lottie explained nonchalantly. When we all looked to her in astonishment, she said, "What? I happen to know a lot about the human experience."

"Which really translates to 'I've been reading a lot of my mum's psychology books again'," I teased.

"Be that as it may," she repled with great feigned dignity, "I'm not wrong. She's fancied him for a long time, but didn't know how to work around the rival captains bit. But now, after their very last game against one another, there's nothing stopping them. And Farley is ridiculously dishy, so I don't blame her one bit."

It was pure Lottie, to make a profound statement like that, then follow it up with something ridiculous. But as we all laughed, the visible delight at entertaining us was undeniable. And that's what made her Lottie.

 **AN: We had to have a fight, sorry guys! And there will probably be more in the future, since real couples do fight. And they're both stubborn when they think they're right. Anyway, there will probably be one more chapter for Fourth Year, really focusing on Petunia's relationship with Lily, since that is what this story is really about. Everything else is to frame that. So for those of you missing Lily, next chapter, I promise. Thanks to all who followed/favorited, and thanks so much to PurpleReader29, YuunoMugen, guest, and Alice Mirza for the reviews! And as for the questions on the continuation of Petunia and Gideon, all I can say is that I've already shown Petunia married to Vernon in the future, so make of that what you will. I'm so glad you guys seemed to like my portrayal of the Weasleys; they were a lot of fun to write. And Alice, you can have Nic for the moment. I do have plans for him later on, though! I do promise to try to update more frequently, and I know I keep saying that, but I will try! My muse ran away for a while, sneaky little bugger, and work is taking up way too much of my time right now, but I will do better! Thanks for sticking with us!**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

The next morning found Gideon and me in the library, working on our homework, waiting for Lily to join us as usual. Only she didn't. I checked my watch several times over the two hours we were there, but she never showed.

Even Gideon noticed. "Why isn't Lily here? I thought she would be here." His genuine concern caused those old hippogriffs in my stomach to do a conga line, even for the worry swirling through me.

"I don't know. I saw her at breakfast, but maybe she's not feeling well."

"Well, let's go check on her." Gideon practically threw his books into his bag, impatiently waiting for me to do the same, before racing out of the library. I knew that at least some of his haste was simply so he could leave the quiet space and Madam Goodweather's stern gaze. She never had forgiven him for his jollity after asking me out.

We made it to the Gryffindor common room quickly, going through several secret passageways that were new to me. "Shortcuts," Gid said with a smirk as we pulled to a stop in front of the Fat Lady's portrait. He opened his mouth to say the password, but stopped at her stern look. "Really?" he asked in exasperation.

"Really, Mr. Prewett," she replied fussily.

Gid grumbled under his breath, then stepped closer to the portrait, whispering to her. "You may enter," was her prim answer as she swung forward.

"What's that all about?" I asked. "You didn't have to whisper the password yesterday."

"That's precisely why he must now whisper in front of student from other Houses," the Fat Lady called to me from the other side of the portrait. "He all but yelled it at me! In front of Hufflepuffs!"

"She's barmy," he whispered as he helped me through the hole. "Utterly mad."

I laughed a bit, kissing his cheek quickly. "As long as she doesn't try to keep me out, I don't mind."

His grin kept those hippogriffs dancing. "Oh, look! Lily's over there," he said pointing to a squashy couch, where my sister was reading next to her best friend, Alice.

Who was shooting me a rather nasty look. "Why is Alice glaring at me?" I asked Gid quietly.

"I don't know," he answered, looking a bit puzzled. "I've never seen her have a problem with anyone. Well, anyone other than Potter and Black for hexing Lily."

I was confused, as well, but shrugged it off and walked over to their couch, sitting on the arm by her head. "Hey, Lils, where were you? Gideon and I missed you at the library."

"Busy," she replied, not even looking up from her book.

Instantly, I knew something was wrong. For one thing, Mum had drilled into our heads growing up to never be rude to anyone, even family. And for another, Lily and I never had disagreements. "What's wrong, Lily?"

"Nothing." She kept her eyes firmly on her book, but I could tell they weren't moving.

"Lily, c'mon. It's me. What's wrong? It's not like you to keep people waiting like that. Gideon and I were worried something had happened to you."

"Oh, I'm sure you were." I'd never heard my sister sound so snide before.

"Can I talk to you outside?" I asked, then proceeded to give her no choice by ripping her book from her grasp and pulling her up from the couch. "We'll be back in a minute, Gid, Alice," I told the others, before marching my sister out of the common room.

It wasn't until we were several corridors away that I finally stopped and faced Lily. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting like this?"

"Why do you even care?! Why don't you just go back to your precious boyfriend! He clearly means more to you than I do!" she screamed, then dropped her head, but not before I caught sight of her tears.

It would have hurt worse if she'd simply slapped me. "Lily, of course I care about you. I love you. You're my sister," I told her, attempting to wrap my arms around her.

But Lily was the more stubborn of the two of us. She refused to let me. "So that's why you spent all evening last night in my common room and didn't even look in my direction the whole time, let alone deign to speak to me. Because you love me."

At this point, a punch to the gut would have been preferable. Especially because I couldn't refute it. I'd been so caught up with my friends and Gideon's that I hadn't thought of my little sister. "I'm so sorry," I whispered. "Lily, I'm sorry."

"It's like you don't need me anymore." She was whispering now, instead of screaming, but it was worse. Far worse. "You have all these friends, and now Gideon, so now you've forgotten about me. But I still need you. You're my best friend, Tuney, but you've forgotten all about me."

Tears were running down both of our faces at this point, and, thank Merlin, she didn't refuse my embrace this time. We held each other and cried. "I'm so sorry, Lils," I said into her hair, over and over.

After crying ourselves dry, we agreed to a new system. We would still spend time together on the weekends, just like we had been, but one Sunday a month would be exclusively spent with each other. No boyfriends, no other friends, just sisters. "And it just so happens that today is Sunday, so today can be our first one," I offered.

"No, we can go back to the common room and you can be with Gideon," Lily offered. Then a mischievous smile crossed her face. "But only so I can get you all to myself next Sunday for the whole day."

I was still laughing about that when we got back to Gryffindor Tower. "Everything okay?" Gideon asked me as I settled onto the couch next to him.

"Absolutely," I assured, winking at my little sister. "But, just so you know, I have plans all day next Sunday. I have a date."

"Are you seeing another redhead?" he gasped dramatically.

"Why, yes, I am, as a matter of fact. A rather gorgeous redhead."

"Fair point. I suppose I can accept that."

"Thank you," I whispered, kissing his cheek again.

"Anytime," he whispered back. Then, aloud, he added, "Lily, why don't you and Alice come join us? Let's see if you girls can beat me, Fab, and Max at Exploding Snap."

The grin Lily gave him in return was beatific.

…

Gideon was incredible. He truly was. Inviting Lily to join us wasn't just a one-time thing for him. Nearly every time we were in the Gryffindor common room after that, he would tell her and Alice to sit with us. And it wasn't just Gid; Fabian and Max were just as solicitous to the Second Year girls. In fact, after Donald Nott, a Ravenclaw Second Year, called Lily a Mudblood, no one was really sure which one of the boys landed him in the hospital wing, but Nott never made the mistake of messing with Lily after that. Lily now had three big brother figures to look after her, and she loved it.

Lily and Alice also spent quite a bit of time in the Hufflepuff common room with me and my friends. We taught the younger girls how to do their hair, tricks for makeup (both magical and Muggle), and varnish their nails. And there was always plenty of talk about boys.

"I think it's time to let Davey go," Lottie said conversationally as she plaited Alice's long blonde hair.

"You've barely been dating him for three weeks!" I protested. "And I thought you liked him."

"I did, but really, he's not the one for me. And besides, Tristan Montgomery has been giving me some adorable puppy eyes," she replied.

"After all, Pet," Marly teased. "We can't all be like you and find our soulmate in Third Year."

"He's not my soulmate," I blushingly refuted.

"Pet, if he were any more perfect for you, I'd start to think you somehow made him yourself," Tina stated.

"He really is great, Tuney," Lily said, turning to look back at me from where I was curling her hair.

"I know that! I just don't know if he's my soulmate."

"Speaking of soulmates, did I see Frank Longbottom flirting with our very own Miss Alice?" Danae asked with a smile.

Alice promptly blushed tomato red. "I wouldn't say he was flirting with me."

"Oh, darling, of course he was!" Lottie exclaimed. "After all, who wouldn't simply adore you?"

"But just be careful," Marly warned. "His mother is my mother's cousin, and she's rather terrifying. Auggie once described her as a dragon, and I must say it's a rather apt description."

"Don't scare the poor girl," was Tina's scold. "If she likes Frank, she should go for him and not have to worry about his terrifying mother."

"But he's in your year. I don't think I really have a chance with him," the poor girl in question lamented.

"Of course you do!" Assuring her was my job, as the unofficial big sister in the situation. "After all, Gideon is a year above me, and Davey is two above Lottie. Two years is nothing, I promise."

"Yeah, after all, Laurel Hayes is engaged to Mark Richardson, who's training to be an Auror, and she still has another year to go at Hogwarts," Danae added. "And my parents are four years apart."

"Age is just a number, darling," Lottie said dramatically. "Love knows no bounds."

…

Soon enough, term was ending and it was time to go home. Once again, my friends and I all crowded into one compartment. It wasn't until Gideon was teasing me with a chocolate frog while Fabian and Max gave us all an entertaining retelling of their last prank that I realized the Gryffindor boys were quite firmly entrenched into our group. Oh, sure, Marly and Max argued frequently, but that was to be expected of the siblings. Other than that, though, we all got along fabulously. Even Nic was coming around, being just a touch friendlier than civil. It was progress, and it made me immensely happy.

That happy feeling lasted increased exponentially when we got to the platform and I saw Mum standing there with Dad. She grinned at me, and so did Dad, though his smile lessened when he saw Gideon following behind me. "Hello, Tunia," he told me, wrapping me in a warm hug. "Gideon." His tone was much cooler as he greeted my boyfriend, but that was probably to be expected.

"Hello, sir," was Gid's reply, holding out a hand for Dad to shake. He warmed up a bit at that, and then even more when he met the Weasleys.

Dad and Arthur got along rather well, and Molly hugged me just as enthusiastically as she did the boys. "You must come to visit," she ordered me. "Bill talked of nothing but you and your yellow hair for weeks after the last visit, I swear. And little Charlie has grown so much! You simply have to visit. In fact, we would love for all of you to visit."

Mum and Molly talked for several more moments, even after Lily and Severus had found us. It wasn't until Severus had huffed (rather loudly) for the fourth time that they finally said their goodbyes. "I'll see you soon," Gid promised me as he hugged me chastely goodbye, under Dad's strict watch.

"Is Molly always like that?" Mum asked once we'd gotten the car loaded with all three trunks and various animal cages. We'd gotten several strange looks walking through the station like that.

Laughing, I replied, "If you mean lovingly bossy, then yes, as far as I can tell."

"You can forget the 'lovingly' bit," Severus muttered lowly, but we all heard.

"Sev!" Lily exclaimed, shocked.

"That was incredibly rude, Severus," Mum scolded gently. "Molly was completely polite to you, and there was no reason for you to say such a thing. I expect better from you, young man."

Severus looked a touch ashamed. "Of course, Mrs. Evans. I'm sorry," he said, the picture of abashed apology. At least until Mum turned back to the front and could no longer see him.

…

That interaction started a new trend for the summer. Severus would make many snide comments to or about me, or my friends, but never when my parents or Lily would hear it. I wouldn't normally have let it bother me, but it was about my friends. We got into several arguments, which only succeeded in getting Lily upset with both of us. After the entirety of June spent thusly, I finally learned to ignore it. It still annoyed me, but I controlled my response.

"I'm proud of you, Tunia," Mum said suddenly one day after tea.

Her comment surprised me. "Whatever for?" I asked with a bit of a laugh. "What've I done to deserve that?"

Her smile was rather knowing. "It can't be easy for you to deal with Severus," she began slowly. "I know you don't care for him, and he certainly isn't the easiest person to get along with, but you try, for Lily's sake. He's important to her, and so you try to keep the peace with him. And that, my darling, is truly impressive. And I am ever so proud of you for that."

I protested a little, but she wouldn't hear of it. "You always think of others, Petunia. That's your gift. Just remember that you need to think of yourself, occasionally, as well."

…

For my fifteenth birthday, Mum threw a fancy tea. "After all," she'd explained to Dad, "it's not every day our girl turns fifteen. She's turning into a lady, and we should celebrate that."

"Why is that something to celebrate?" he grumbled. "Why can't she be my little girl forever?"

But Mum had simply smiled and took me shopping for the fanciest dress I'd ever owned. Lily got a new dress, too, but nowhere near as grown up as mine. After all, she was only thirteen.

When the day came, Mum pulled out all the stops. She made a fancy meal, and a beautiful cake, refusing any and all help from me. Then, just before my guests were due to arrive, she helped me with my hair and makeup. As a finishing touch, she slipped something around my neck. "There. Now you look like a proper lady," she said, smiling happily.

"The pearls?" I gasped, unable to say anything more. After all, I knew what those pearls meant to her. Every oldest daughter in her family for more than a century had worn them on their wedding day.

"I think it'll be a good practice run for you," Mum replied, with a twinkle in her eye.

Soon enough, my friends all arrived in a blend of Muggle and Wizarding clothes. Tina and Lottie wore dresses, while Danae and Marly were in witches dress robes. The boys also wore dress robes, all except Gid. He surprised me by showing up in a very smart suit. "Oh, don't you look handsome!" Mum cooed, motioning him closer to me before snapping multiple pictures. "Oh, you two are such a beautiful couple!"

Dad seemed to disagree, but at least he did it silently, though his glares were rather loud whenever Gid was touching me, even if it was just holding hands.

We had a fabulous tea; the food was fabulous, and the company even more so. My friends impressed Mum and Dad with their manners ("At least pureblood manners are good for something," as Max put it), and they showered me with presents. But the best part was when Mum left us in the lounge, dragging a grumbling Dad out with her, and told us to have fun with the record player.

I had fun introducing my friends to my favorite Muggle music. "What is this?" Fab asked in awe, while Lily and I, along with Tina and Lottie, danced to "Help!"

"You've never heard of the Beatles?" Tina asked in dismay. "But they are the best band ever, even if they did break up, sadly."

"Well, the best way to enjoy them is to dance to them," Lottie added, laughing as she pulled Max to dance with her. With a grin, I pulled Gid to join me, as well.

Once we found out that the purebloods in our group didn't know the Beatles, we quickly decided that it was imperative for them to be properly educated. We listened to both sides of Help! twice, and everyone agreed upon the musical genius of the Beatles.

Gid was spinning me around, all but throwing me around in the room to "I've Just Seen A Face". I twirled back into his arms, then he stopped without warning, just looking at me intently. "What is it?" I asked, worried a little.

"It's nothing. I just- This song is exactly how I feel about you," he told me quietly, still intently studying my face.

He most definitely deserved the kiss that followed.

 **AN: I'm not dead, I swear! And I am still writing. Work's just kind of been sucking the life out of me lately, and then spending time with my roommates means less time writing, as well. But I haven't given up on Petunia, and I won't. Don't worry! I'm trying to write more, working it in with Netflixing with the roomies, so I won't be a month and a half between updates again. Thank you to all who followed/favorited, and thanks so much to Alicia Olivia Mirza, Jily71102, teachergirl, and guest for their reviews. Reviews are life for a fanfic writer!**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The day after my birthday saw our Hogwarts letters delivered during breakfast. "Yours seems a bit heavy this year, Tunia," Dad said as he handed them to us girls. I froze with my hand on the envelope. Could it be? Could this really be what I thought it was? "Go on, love. Open it," he prodded, seeming a bit concerned.

I didn't need any more encouragement. Ripping open the envelope, I gasped as a yellow and black badge came tumbling out, the symbol of my secretly held hopes. "Tuney, you're a prefect!" Lily squealed, throwing her arms around me.

"Well done, love," Mum effused.

Dad grinned. "Congrats, Tunia. I'm so proud of you, my girl."

"Read the letter!" Lily demanded. "Alice said there's always a letter from your Head of House with all the prefect appointments."

I obligingly fished out the letter and cleared my throat. "Dear Miss Evans, I am delighted to inform you of my decision to make you the new Hufflepuff Fifth Year prefect. Your exemplary behavior, in class as well as out, has impressed the staff immensely. Congratulations on your appointment. We expect many great things from you.

"Please note that all prefects are asked to attend a meeting onboard the Hogwarts Express at eleven o'clock on September first. You will receive your further instructions from our new Head Boy and Girl. In addition, you will be assigned a patrol duty for the duration of the train ride. Have a pleasant rest of your summer.

"Yours sincerely,

"Pomona Sprout, Head of Hufflepuff House"

After I finished reading the letter, Dad joked, "Well, Lils, looks like you've got awfully big shoes to fill if you're going to keep up with Tunia."

"They're not competing, Roger," Mum laughed. "Each of our girls is their own, unique, wonderful person, and I wouldn't have them any other way."

"Neither would I," he replied, huffing in feigned offense. "Tunia simply set a high standard for Lils to follow, that's all."

Mum shook her head at him. "You are not expected to make prefect, Lily. We will be entirely pleased with you whether you make it or not."

"Oh, I will," she said, utterly confident. "After all, I have Tuney to help me."

…

Marly, Lottie, Danae, and Tina all Flooed me during the day to congratulate me. "Well, we all knew it wouldn't be me," Marly laughed. "I'm too much of a troublemaker."

"And Lottie's too interested in boys," Tina teased.

"I find that statement ironic," Lottie butted in. "Since Pet's the one with a steady boyfriend."

Said steady boyfriend suddenly tumbled out of the fireplace, followed by his twin. "Pet, I'm Quidditch Captain!" he yelled, throwing his arms around me and twirling us around.

I laughed, disregarding the soot he was spreading around the lounge. "Congrats, Gid! I'm so proud of you!"

"Pet's got some good news, too," Lily chimed in.

Gideon stopped spinning, but his arms didn't leave me. "Don't tell me. You've been made prefect, haven't you?"

I nodded happily, then turned when Fabian laughed. "That's the end of all your fun, then, Gid. You can't be running around breaking rules if your girlfriend's the one on patrol."

"Or it means it's easier for me to see her if I already know she'll be out," he countered.

"You'd better not be getting my girl in trouble now, Gideon," Dad said, suddenly popping into the room. It was amusing to see how quickly Gid's arms released me.

"Of course not, sir," he placated. "I was merely joking. I would never get Petunia in trouble. And I would never cause trouble in the first place, since that could get my captaincy revoked."

"Your captaincy? You've been made Quidditch captain?" And instantly, Gideon was back in Dad's good graces, thanks to sports.

Later, after everyone but Gideon had gone home, we went on a walk to the river. "So how does Fab feel about you being the captain and not him?" I asked quietly.

Gid laughed. "He's over the moon about it. Says he gets all the privileges of it without any of the responsibilities. He thinks it's the best thing to happen to him."

"Of course he does," I giggled. "This just means he can have fun and not be told off."

"Or so he thinks. I plan on taking this captaincy very seriously," he told me. Then, he paused, pointing at two figures in the distance. "Is that Lily with Snivellus?"

"Severus," I corrected, frowning at the use of the horrible nickname, "but yes. He's her best friend, though I never have been able to understand why."

"I have a feeling he only lets her see the parts of him that she'd like," Gid answered thoughtfully. Then, with a cheeky grin, he added, "Blokes tend to do that with pretty birds."

"Are you trying to tell me that you hide parts of you from me?" I asked, in faux shock.

"Of course. I don't want you to see all of my bad traits."

"Like the way you leave your homework until the very last minute?" I teased. "Or thinking Quidditch is more important than school?"

Gid gasped. "That's blasphemy!" he declared melodramatically. "Of course Quidditch is more important!"

We playfully argued over that for the rest of our walk. Neither of us was able to convince the other.

…

"Don't forget your Prefect badge, Tunia," Mum called after me. "Or your cat!"

It was September first, and our family was running around trying to get everything together before heading to Kings Cross with a bit more chaos than usual. Elaine was following me around, frequently tripping me as she ran between my feet, and Morgana was hooting irritably at Lily, who was trying to get the normally sweet tempered owl down from the top of the china hutch.

"What's wrong with these bloody animals?" Dad growled, after Morgana suddenly swooped down and clipped his face with her wing, making him nearly drop my trunk. "They're not normally like this."

"They're just riled up from all the excitement," Mum answered tiredly from the couch. "Remember, Elaine is still a kitten, and she's making Morgana a bit nervous."

"She wasn't like this at Christmas," Dad grumbled, nearly tripping as the cat in question ran suddenly in front of him.

"No, she was asleep the whole time," I said, finally cornering Elaine to get her in the basket.

"I've got Morgana!" Lily cried exultantly.

"Well, at least now we can pack the car without the animals running rampant," Dad muttered.

Soon enough, it was time to go. Lily and I gave Mum long, lingering hugs, and she was a bit tearful as she said goodbye this time. "Be good, and write loads of letters. We want to hear everything that goes on at that school of yours," she begged, with one last hug around the both of us.

"Of course we will, Mum," I promised.

"It's time to go, girls. We've still got to pick up Severus, and we're running a bit behind as it is," Dad interrupted reluctantly.

"Bye, girls. Remember that I love you so very much," Mum called after us.

The ride to London was full of Dad's advice for the year: making sure we got good grades, stayed out of trouble, etc. But once we got to the station, however, Dad had one final piece of advice. "Now, my girls, I want you both to study hard, learn loads, and have fun this year. After all, there's plenty of time to be responsible later."

"Alright, Dad," I said, shaking my head at his mischievous grin. "I'd better get on, though. I've got a meeting right at eleven."

"Petunia! Lily! We've got a carriage down here!" Lottie's voice carried across the crowded station, even over the noise of everyone else saying their goodbyes. And Gid and Fab showed up just then to take our trunks. Dad gave them approving looks as he gave us girls one last hug each.

"I love you, Tunia, and I'm so proud of you," he whispered.

"Love you, too, Dad, but I've got to go," I said, pulling away. "See you at Christmas!" I called over my shoulder.

Lily and I followed the boys to our carriage, where I said a quick hello to everyone, and kissed Gid, of course, before throwing on my robes and heading to the front carriage for my meeting. Thankfully, Nic was saving me a seat, since I didn't really know anyone else there yet. "Thanks, Nic," I said hurriedly.

"Who else was I going to sit with?" he asked with a sardonic smile. "It's not like I really wanted to sit with Zabini," he added, gesturing a thumb in the direction of his female counterpart. "She'd just try to flirt with me the whole time."

"You know you love it," I teased. He only managed a severe frown at me, since Patricia Marston, the Head Girl, was starting the meeting.

"Welcome, everyone, especially to our new prefects," she said, smiling widely. "We are so excited to be working with you this year."

"We'll have meetings once a month, and we'll hand out the new patrol schedules for the month then," John Davidson, the Head Boy, told us, handing out September's.

"With your prefect appointment, you now have the authority to discipline other students," Patricia reminded. "But you also have to responsibility to use that authority wisely and maturely. It's not to give detentions to someone you've got a grudge against, or to give your House more points. We are the leaders of our school, and we need to act as such."

"And remember, you can only take away House points from someone in your own House. You may assign someone a detention, but if it's seems to warrant more, always take the case to a teacher, or either of us Heads," John added.

"Patrolling on the train is mostly making sure no bullying is going on, or helping any scared First Years. After the Feast, the Fifth Year prefects lead the new First Years to the dormitories, oh, and here are the passwords for you Gryffindors and Slytherins," she said, passing slips of paper to each House.

"Patrolling at Hogwarts is rather easy, too. With your partner, simply go through the castle looking for anyone out after curfew. Depending on what they're doing, and how frequently they've been caught out, you can take points, if they're in your House, or assign detentions. If it's a major problem with that student, take them to their Head of House. And if for any reason, you can't fulfill your assigned patrol, come talk to me or Patricia," he told us.

"Or you could switch patrols with one of your fellow prefects, just let us know if you do," Patricia joined in. "And make sure that you do the one you switched for."

A few more instructions later, and we were released. "I'm so glad you're a prefect with me, Nic," I said, slipping my arm through his to give it a squeeze. "This is why I like having friends in other Houses."

"So you're not stuck with Halkirk smarming you the whole meeting," Nic laughed as we entered our compartment.

"Who's smarming Pet?" Gid asked, sounding a bit alarmed.

"No one," I tried to say, but Nic cut me off.

"It was Halkirk, the other Hufflepuff prefect with her," he announced. Settling in between Marly and Danae, he continued. "He didn't, actually, but would have if I hadn't been sitting next to her. As it was, he was leering at her through the whole meeting. You should probably have a talk with him, Gideon."

"Thanks, Nic. I think I will."

I would have been thrilled with their progress, using first names was a big deal for them, after all, if I wasn't so upset with them. "Do you two really think I can't take care of myself?" Both boys opened their mouths to defend themselves, but I didn't let them. "I am perfectly capable of telling some obnoxious boy off, thank you very much, and if he doesn't listen, well, I have several jinxes that I'm fairly good at. So I can take care of myself, and I'll thank you both to remember that in the future."

"Sorry, Pet," Nic mumbled, looking rather uncomfortable.

"Sorry, Pet," Gideon agreed. "I'm sorry I'm a bit of a caveman when it comes to other blokes looking at my gorgeous girlfriend. I promise to try and tone down any and all such tendencies."

I looked at both and sighed at their contrite faces. "I forgive you both, just don't let it happen again."

"It won't!" they chimed.

I finally allowed Gid to pull me onto his lap and looked around. "Where'd Lily go?"

Lottie grimaced. "Snape started whinging two minutes in, so they left for 'a less crowded compartment'," she quoted, in what sounded remarkably like Severus's disdainful tone.

I sighed. "He worries me."

"Don't worry, Pet," Gid assured me, wrapping his arms around me a bit more. "We'll keep an eye on her in the common room."

"And anywhere else we can," Max added.

The rest of the trip passed in a blur of sweets, laughs, and friends popping in and out. Gid especially got quite a few visitors as news of his captaincy reached the Gryffindors hopeful of joining the team. Jameson, the Hufflepuff captain, even congratulated him, then threatened Marly with loads of laps if she hadn't practiced over the summer.

The Sorting Hat's song was a bit gloomy that year, warning us all of the need to inter-House unity and overcoming differences in hard times. The Sorting afterwards was likewise glum, at least at the beginning, but once the food appeared, we all forgot about it in favor of the delicious food. Then it was time for me to lead the new First Years to our dorm. "I'll see you girls in the room," I told my friends, then turned to the small students. "Hello, everyone. I'm Petunia Evans," I told them.

"And I'm Jeff Halkirk," a voice popped up at my elbow. "And we will show you to our dormitory."

Together, we showed the new students down to the dorm in the basement. I could see their confusion when we stopped in front of the stacked barrels. Smiling, I demonstrated. "You just need to tap this one here in the middle to the tune of 'Helga Hufflepuff', and it opens right up. Go on in!"

Most of them grinned and headed through the barrel, only to stop in awe at our cozy common room. "Alright, everyone, boys are down this hall, second door down, and the girls are the same," Jeff instructed.

"You'll find your trunks in your rooms. Have a good night everyone, and be ready for classes tomorrow. If you need to, wait here in the common room, and we can show you the way back to the Great Hall. And don't hesitate to ask us if you have any questions," I assured.

They all nodded and headed to their rooms, most yawning and shuffling a bit. I couldn't help but smile at how adorable they were. "Were we ever that small?" Jeff asked conversationally.

"Of course we were. Just like they'll grow to be our size when they get to Fifth Year," I replied.

"Well, maybe not my size," he protested. "After all, I grew another six inches over the holiday."

"How's your Prefect duties going, Pet?" Marly asked, hooking her arm through mine and dragging me toward our room. She, Lottie, and Tina kept up a stream of chatter the whole way.

"Bless you girls," I breathed, once the door was safely shut behind us. "You saved me."

"We know," they chorused, giggling.

"Jeff Halkirk is a flirtatious git," Tina added.

"He's harmless, but it's still annoying," I agreed. "Still, Gid and Nic can't know about this. They'll only think they're right."

 **AN: I am so sorry! I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated last! I'm a horrible human for leaving you all hanging for almost five months. It won't happen again! However, thanks so much for sticking with me and all who followed/favorited. A huge thanks to ChocolateSauce18, Queen of Sparkle, and for your reviews! And again, I promise to update a bit faster this time!**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

The next morning, I got up a bit earlier than usual, wanting to make sure the new First Years knew where to go. And that's how I met Spencer.

He was a tiny thing with a thick mop of sandy hair nearly covering his eyes. And he was curled into a corner of a couch in the common room, looking absolutely miserable. I almost missed him, since he was so small, but the hiccup that escaped gave him away. "Hi, I'm Petunia," I said, moving to sit beside him.

"I know, you said it last night," he said, steadfastly avoiding my gaze. I couldn't miss the tear tracks on his cheeks, however.

"What's your name?" I persisted.

But so did his stubbornness. He didn't reply, so I spoke again. "I suppose if you don't have a name, I'll have to make up one for you. Now, let's see. You don't seem like a Ralph, or a Bartholomew. Hm, how about Albert?" His scowl told me he didn't like that one. "Alright, not Albert. Jason? Ricardo? Donatello? Alfredo? Linguini? Pasta?"

A tiny laugh escaped him, seemingly grudgingly. "That's food, not a name," he informed me.

"Well, how am I to know if you don't tell me your name?" I protested.

"It's Spencer," he said quietly.

"Well, Spencer, it's very nice to meet you. Welcome to Hufflepuff."

At my words, all traces of his former mirth were gone. And I thought I might have understood why. "Which house were you hoping for?"

Spencer looked at me with wide eyes. "Gryffindor. How did you know?"

"Well, Hufflepuff's not usually someone's first choice, and you didn't seem particularly happy to be here. Do you have family in Gryffindor?"

He nodded. "Mum was a Gryffindor, and all of my sisters are, too."

"Well, just because you're in a different House doesn't mean you won't ever see them. My sister's in Gryffindor, and my boyfriend and a lot of my friends are, too."

"But Gryffindor is the brave House! Now I'm stuck in poky Hufflepuff!" he cried.

"D'you really think Hufflepuffs can't be brave?" I asked, and his expression told me he didn't. "Hufflepuffs can be brave, or wise, or cunning. We just choose to work hard, accept everyone regardless, more."

Spencer didn't seem convinced. "Hufflepuff's boring," he complained.

"We might not be the most glamorous House, true, but we're the House that will accept you, help you when you fail just as much as when you succeed. We're the House that are brave because it's the right thing to do, to fight for what we love and believe in. We might not get all the recognition, the glory of the world out there, but we're the ones behind the scenes, pushing, changing the world one little bit at a time."

Spencer stared at me again, this time with a little bit of awe. Then, he suddenly hugged me, then released me just as quickly. "Thank you," he whispered.

"You're welcome," I laughed. "That's what Hufflepuff is all about, after all."

We talked for a few more moments about the perks of being in Hufflepuff, then he ran to his dorm to get ready. "I'll be here when you're ready," I promised. "That way you don't have to try to find the Great Hall by yourself."

As I was waiting for Spencer, my friends came out of our room. "You still here, Pet?" Lottie asked in confusion. I explained who I was waiting for, and they promised to save me a seat at breakfast, after I assured them I didn't need them to wait with me. I thought Spencer might be a bit intimidated by four Fifth Years accompanying him.

I ended up showing all of the First Years the way. They followed behind me, with Spencer asking me excited questions the whole way. Then I showed them to our table, where Professor Sprout was waiting for them with their timetables.

"You looked like a mother duck with all her little ducklings," Gid laughed as he pulled me into the seat next to him and greeted me with a kiss on the cheek. After all, Professor McGonagall was just a few feet away, watching him rather disapprovingly.

"I couldn't just leave them all!" I cried. "How were they supposed to find their way on their own after just one night in the castle?"

"That's what I love about you Puffs," Fab said, grabbing a toast off his twin's plate. "You're all such adorable do-gooders. Whereas we Gryffs were left to fend for ourselves on our first day."

"We took three wrong turns before Nearly-Headless Nick found us," Max added.

"Yes, well, you've never had the best sense of direction, Max, so it's no wonder that you got lost," Marly told him. Which of course prompted another argument between the two of them.

As the rest of us laughingly egged on their spat, I got a tap on the shoulder. Turning around, I saw Anna Richards, a blonde Gryffindor I recognized from Gid's year. "Thank you for talking with my little brother," she said quietly. "He was really upset last night about not being in Gryffindor, but now he's saying that Hufflepuff's far better and he couldn't be happier."

"Spencer's your brother?"

"Yeah, and he said you talked to him this morning."

"Oh, it was nothing," I assured.

"No, really, it was a big deal to him. He's been looking forward to being in Gryffindor his whole life, so it was devastating to not make it," she told me. "But now he's happy to be in Hufflepuff, thanks to you. So thanks for looking out for my little brother. And I'll do the same for your sister."

After she walked back to the Gryffindor table, pausing to ruffle Spencer's hair, Gid said softly, "You really are amazing."

Blushing, I protested. "No, I just helped him to be comfortable in his House. That's what we do in Hufflepuff, after all."

…

Fifth Year proved much harder than any previous. It seemed that, with OWLS looming at the end of the year, all the teachers were determined to cram as much into our heads as possible, resulting in more revision than ever before. Then throw in my prefect duties, and my friends and boyfriend, and it seemed that I had no free time whatsoever. But there was one thing that I had forgotten to squeeze in.

It was a month after start of term, and we girls were working on homework on what would prove to be the last nice day of autumn out by the lake. Everyone was working, and the only sounds were the scratching of quills on parchment and pages turning, with an occasional comment or question. Until Lottie sat up, snapped her book closed, and said, "Are we going to do Operation Secret Smile this year? I think we should."

"Operation Secret Smile?" I questioned.

"Yeah, when we helped everyone out last year without them knowing. Brought a few smiles to people who needed it most?"

"I'd forgotten," Marlie mused. "With Quidditch and classes, I've hardly had a chance to think about anything else."

"You hardly think of anything else, anyway," Danae teased.

"At least I'm not in the House known for great thinkers," she shot back.

So, in between teasing and laughing, we planned our next mission, surprising the Gryffindor whose father went missing the day after term started. And when the school owl delivered the Chocolate Frogs to him the next day, his smile made up for the sleep we'd missed to finish our homework after making the plan.

…

As a Prefect, I had patrols every other week. Thankfully, Nic had somehow finagled it for us to be partners, citing some rubbish about inter-House unity. In all honesty, he just didn't want to have to patrol with Elena Zabini. "I'll come pick you up at seven, Pet," he said in the library one night.

"If I didn't know better, Nic, I'd say you were taking my girl on a date," Gid laughed.

"Of course I am. She's finally wised up to you, so she's moved on to me now. After all, I'm clearly the better choice," he said, traces of his old arrogance only heard in his sarcasm now.

"Yes, because if I was going to sneak around behind your back, Gid, I would definitely make plans for it in front of your face," I told them, shaking my head at their ridiculousness, but loving that they were finally getting along.

"And if she were to leave Gid, I can think of many options better than Nic, after all," Marly joked. "I swear, half the school is in love with her."

"I know I'm in love with her," Max said, from his seat next to Tina.

"As am I," Fab quipped. "Whatever will I do without your love in return?"

"I suppose you'll just have to make do with Rebecca Gold," I told him.

"Or is it Sandra Timmons this week?" Danae added.

"I thought it was Trinity Mullins," Gid said, confused.

"Which one is it, then?" Lottie asked.

"Um…" was all Fab could say.

"You really don't know which girl you're taking to Hogsmeade this weekend?" I asked in amazement.

"It's not my fault!" he cried. "They all asked me. I can't help it if they all want a piece of me."

"Are you sure he's your twin?" I jokingly asked Gid. "The two of you are nothing alike!"

"I would think someone's just been using Polyjuice potion, if not for the freckle, but alas, it's true," he said dramatically. "I really am related to this nutter."

Our laughter at that got us all kicked out of the library, so I kissed my boyfriend goodbye and we girls all went back to the Hufflepuff common room to do our homework some more. Then, at seven, just like he said, Nic was there to pick me up for patrol.

Our patrol that night was fairly uneventful, simply telling the few students out of bounds to get back to their common rooms. The Fat Friar spent a good half hour with us, regaling us with tales of his life. "And that's why you should never pull a rabbit out of the communion cup, children. At least not in front of senior churchmen who happen to be Muggles," he advised.

"Thank you, sir. We'll keep that in mind," I replied, trying to stifle the giggle that was begging to be released. Nic had to fake a coughing fit to cover his laughter.

"You should go to the hospital wing, young man. Those lungs sound inflamed. I should know, after all," the Friar said, concerned.

His concern caused more laughter, which caused more concern. The kindly ghost was about to escort both of us to see Madame Pomfrey when I heard scurrying sounds from around the corner. "Shh," I whispered, then pointed to the corner.

Nic nodded, and the Friar went through the walls, presumably to help trap the miscreants. With my wand out in front of me, I took a deep breath, pushing out the sudden reminder of when Lucius Malfoy and his friends had attacked me in Second Year. I was older now, and I knew far more spells. This was not going to end up like the previous time, I assured myself.

With that fortifying thought, I turned the corner, and nearly fell over laughing. James Potter and two of his friends were lying in a tangle on the floor, partially covered with something that seemed to turn them invisible. "You've got an Invisibility Cloak, Potter?" Nic asked, sounding torn between awe and jealousy.

I held out a hand to the little one, Pettigrew, I thought, to help him stand, while he blushed adorably. "How do you know it's not mine, Selwyn?" Black asked, standing on his own.

"Because you would have bragged about it during all those terrible parties we were mutually forced to attend," Nic said, picking up the article in question for a good look.

"Yes, it's mine, so if I could just have it back, we'll be on our way," Potter said, trying to sound authoritative, but his eyes darting to every possible exit belied that.

"And where might you be going at this time of night?" I asked, trying to hide the grin their sudden guiltiness inspired.

"Nowhere," Pettigrew squeaked.

Nic and I didn't buy that. "You needed an Invisibility Cloak to go nowhere?" I said with an eyebrow raised.

Black grinned cheekily. "It's the best way to get nowhere, really."

I had to hide another smile, but Nic had no such problems. "Where were you going? Or do we need to visit Professor McGonagall? I'm sure she would love to hear why three of her Third Years are out of bed this late."

Potter sighed. "Our friend Remus is in the hospital wing, and we were going to visit him, alright, Selwyn?"

Instantly, I remembered that it had been a full moon the day before and changed my mind about what to do with them. "Alright, you can go see him, but you have to go straight there and straight back to Gryffindor Tower after," I told them.

"Really, Pet? What's to keep them from wandering around after? And how do you know they're telling the truth anyway?" Nic grumbled.

I had to fib a little, but it was for a good cause. "I saw Lupin in there earlier, and I know they're not going to wander, since the Friar is going to supervise them," I said, grinning and pointing to the ghost behind the Gryffindors. Who all jumped when they looked behind them. "You wouldn't mind, would you, Friar?"

"I would be delighted," the happy ghost said. The three Gryffindors did not look as happy, but they accepted the compromise, regardless. They trundled off while the Friar regaled them with more educational stories.

"Why'd you let them go, Pet? They were out of bounds after curfew," Nic said, sounding a bit put out.

"Because they were trying to see their sick friend," I explained. "And why do you seem to dislike Black so much, anyway?"

He seemed a bit chagrined at that, but answered, anyway. "You know how my family is incredibly obsessed with the whole Pureblood society thing? Well, so is Black's, and we've been forced to attend so many parties together. And Mother has always tried to get us to be friends, mostly so she can have an excuse to be closer to his mum. But he was always so immature, playing pranks on everyone and not caring about the consequences or who gets affected, but somehow, all the adults adore him. He's just such a prat."

I laughed. "You're jealous!"

"Am not!"

"You are!"

Nic sighed. "No, but I've just heard so much about bloody Sirius Black and his perfect manners and perfect looks since forever from Mother, and I'm so tired of it. Obviously he behaves well in front of the parents, but he's a bloody nightmare to all of us. But at least I made it into the correct House," he added quietly.

"The correct House?" What did that even mean?

A dark smile crossed his face. "For most of the Pureblood families, at least the ones who still care about blood superiority and all that rubbish, the correct House to be sorted in is Slytherin. After all, Salazar Slytherin was the first proponent of keeping Hogwarts within the all-magic families. Anyway, when Black was Sorted into Gryffindor, it was a huge scandal. There hadn't been a Black in another House, ever. You remember Andromeda and Narcissa, and then their older sister, Bellatrix. They're Sirius's cousins, all Slytherins. Well, his parents were furious, but of course, they had to pretend that everything was fine. But now, he's made friends with Potter, who comes from a notorious Blood traitor family, and Lupin and Pettigrew, who are both Half-bloods. He's been acting out more at functions, embarrassing the family and displaying those 'horrible Gryffindor traits', as Mother said, so at least she's stopped harping me about either being his friend or becoming more like him."

I was suddenly immensely grateful for my own parents. "Well, I happen to like you just the way you are, Nic, so you don't need to bother with being more like Black," I told him, hugging his arm to me.

His laugh rang out in the empty hall. "I'm so glad, Pet!"

"Now, why don't you tell me more about that photographer you like so much?" I asked, wanting to distract him from his thoughts. "What was his name again?"

"Dominic Martin," he said, then began to use so many technical terms I couldn't follow. But I was happy to listen.

 **AN: I know it's been over a month, and I am so sorry! I just had no idea where this chapter was going for so long, but when I finally got it, it just flowed! And yes, there was some shameless Hufflepuff promotion going on, but it was needed! Both for the story, and for all us Puffs out there. Thanks for sticking with me, especially to all you who've followed and favorited, and a huge thank you to The purple hippocampus, Jily71102, LadyDisdain2014, DukeAtreides22, Blackthorne Boy (love your pen name, BTW!), and Dragon of Selene for the reviews! And I'm terribly sorry, Dragon, but Petunia and Nic do not get together ever. He's going to realize soon that it's more of a sibling type love than anything. But he will have happiness in the future, I promise! But I do love your ideas for him :D**

 **PS: Thanks to Reader AZ who pointed out that I'd said NEWTS instead of OWLS originally, I have now corrected that. Sorry for the mistake!**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

With being so busy, Christmas seemed to suddenly jump out at us. My friends and I quickly found a compartment on the train to go home for the hols. All except Nic, who had decided to stay at Hogwarts. He'd told his mother that some of the prefects needed to stay, but that was just an excuse. He hadn't wanted to go home, and he'd refused all our offers for him to come home with any of us.

"You sent the order, right, Danae?" I asked, still terribly worried about him.

"Yes, Pet," she laughed. "I sent it yesterday."

For more than a month, Nic had been mooning over a new camera he'd seen advertised in the Daily Prophet, but his mother had declared photography "horribly common" and refused to buy it for him. Marly suspected that it was actually a punishment for being friends with so many people who weren't "the right sort", so we decided to do something about it. We all pitched in to buy it for him, and Danae had been the one in charge of ordering it. I was just worrying a bit that it might not make it in time.

"It'll get to him on Christmas, Pet. Trust me. The Prophet's got a guarantee for it," Gideon assured. "He'll have presents for Christmas."

It took some doing, but they did manage to convince me that Nic would get it in time. Once that was accomplished, the rest of the trip into London was very pleasant. Especially when Gid decided to accompany me on my patrol. He even conveniently located an empty compartment, where we spent a rather blissful half hour.

Christmas was a delight, even if it was more subdued than our usual. But Dad was home more, instead of going into work like he had in the past. "Work will always be there," he laughed, "but my girls aren't always here. I'm going to enjoy their presence while I can."

We stayed at home for the entire four week holiday, barely going out when we had no other choice. The fact that it snowed almost every day helped. Severus was over nearly the whole time, but he was actually well behaved for once, though it may have been because Mum and Dad were with us nearly all the time. And we all ignored the fact that Mum was tired more often. It simply meant we spent a great deal of time reading our own books, and sharing them with each other.

…

Nic was waiting for us in the Great Hall when we arrived back after New Years. He wasted little time in expressing his gratitude for his new camera; namely, hugging each and every one of us. Not even the boys were exempt, which we girls found incredibly entertaining, though we were quick to assure them all that they were very manly hugs.

Over the following weeks, Nic was rarely found without his camera. Those of us lucky enough to be called his friends became rather used to having our picture taken, usually when we least expected it. Though I started to notice a trend, one that Marly confirmed on the last Saturday of January.

We girls were spending the morning together in Hogsmeade, much to Gid's consternation. But we promised to meet them at The Three Broomsticks for lunch, so he was somewhat mollified. We needed the time alone, however, since we were getting supplies for our Operation Secret Smile, and no one else could know, to keep it secret.

It was as we were looking over Honeydukes' selection of sugar quills (our intended target's favorite sweet) when Marly brought it up. "You know," she started in that tone she used when she was trying to be subtle, though she never succeeded, "Nic seems to be taking rather a lot of photos of you lately, Danae."

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one in the group who blushed easily, as Danae then proved. Her entire face red, she tried to object. "No more than any of you lot."

"Oh, darling, I assure you, he has easily twice as many photos of you than any of the rest of us," Tina laughed. "Even more than Pet."

"I think our favorite Slytherin has a crush on our little Ravenclaw," Lottie crooned, cutting off Danae's protest.

"He does seem especially interested in you," I grinned.

"So, what are we going to do about it?" Lottie said, obviously starting to plot.

"We are going to do nothing about it," Danae said emphatically. "Just like Pet didn't want anyone else's help with Gideon, I don't want any help with Nic. If we do… date, I want it to be a natural thing."

We all agreed, with varying degrees of ease. "Thank you," she said. "Now, which kind of sugar quill says 'I'm dreadfully sorry for your loss, but it will get better, I promise'?" she asked, holding up three different kinds.

Eventually, a consensus was reached, and we all bought our various sweets. "The boys are probably still in Zonko's," Marly said with a grin aimed at me. "Since we got our secret shopping done so early, we wouldn't mind if you ran off with Gid for a while."

"But make sure you make it for lunch!" Lottie demanded.

"Thank you, girls!" I called over my shoulder, already mostly out the door. I found Gid, just where Marly had predicted, and it wasn't long before we two were off towards the Shrieking Shack, his arm snugly wrapped around my shoulder.

It seemed silly, to have such a spooky setting as our romantic spot, but it simply worked. We had so many wonderful memories there, as we tended to go there every time we were in the village. It helped that Gid kept his arm around me to "protect me" from any harm the ghosts might cause.

"Really, Prewett, you could do so much better," a voice sneered, and we turned to see Elena Zabini with her little horde of dimwitted followers. "Someone your own kind," she added, tossing her glossy black hair over her shoulder for emphasis.

"And I suppose you're thinking of yourself there," Gid scoffed, tucking me tighter under his arm.

"Of course," she said. "I'm a Pureblood, so that makes me better than the Mudblood scum you've got clinging to you."

Gid went for his wand, but I pushed his arm down. After all, Elena Zabini wasn't worth the detention he would get if he hexed her. "I would suggest you choose one boy to focus on, since you're clearly going after any Pureblood boy, if your attempts at flirting with Nic are any indication. After all, how many times has he turned down your offers to model for him? And besides, if you're so much better than me, why do I have better marks in every class than you?" Then, without paying her any more attention, though secretly enjoying her utterly furious expression, I turned to Gid. "The others are probably waiting for us for lunch. Oh, and look, Professor Babbling is over there. I did have a question on my translation yesterday. I thought I might have mistranslated one." Of course, there was no such teacher in sight, but Elena didn't need to know that.

"You are bloody brilliant," Gid breathed in my ear as we headed back toward the village. But it did nothing to dispel the cold, ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"I just didn't want to see you in detention for something as silly as Elena Zabini calling me a name," I said, pretending to shrug it off.

"Pet," he said, stopping us in the middle of the road. He took my shoulders in his hands, forcing me to face him. "You know what she said is rubbish. Don't you?"

Why does he have to know me so well? I inwardly grumbled. I nodded, but couldn't quite meet his eyes.

Gid nudged my chin with his fingers, bring my gaze to his. "Pet, everything you told her was true. You're better than her in every class, and she knows it. That's why she targeted you. Well, that, and practically the whole of the castle loves you. You're kind, and smart, and willing to help anyone. You don't see blood status, or what family they belong to. You see people. You see the individual, and you and you treat them with kindness, regardless. That's why I love you."

His words sank in, filling me with warmth. And then, his last sentence hit me with all the force of an Impediment Jinx. My eyes widened, and I let out a tiny gasp.

Gid seemed to have realized what he'd said, and his face adorably flushed red enough to clash with his hair. "I- I mean, uh, I just," he babbled, trying to reel that statement back in.

But I wouldn't let him. "You love me?"

He sighed a bit, nodding as he closed his eyes. Which meant he didn't see me stretching to give him a quick kiss. "I love you, too," I whispered, grinning at the wonder in his eyes.

He wrapped me in his arms and kissed me deeply. "I love you, Pet."

We were late to lunch, but we didn't care. And our friends seemed to expect it, since they had ordered food and butterbeers for both of us. And even Elena Zabini entering The Three Broomsticks and aiming a very heated glare my way couldn't dent my happiness. It only prompted Gid to tell a highly amusing version of the events, one that was also highly edited.

Once we got back to the Hufflepuff common room, we instantly noticed a big sign on the notice board. "Careers Advice!" it proclaimed, with stacks of pamphlets underneath it. "Oh, I suppose it is about that time," Marly sighed. "Ollie did say it happened in Fifth Year."

Apparently, every Fifth Year student was to meet with their Head of House and discuss their choices in careers, and which classes to take to get there. Until that point, I hadn't given much conscious thought to what I would do after Hogwarts, but the notice seemed to light an anxious fire inside me.

"Don't worry so much, Pet," Gid tried to console about a week later. It was the day of my meeting with Professor Sprout, and I was reading my seventh pamphlet for the second time at breakfast.

"Yeah, you're brill, and utterly fantastic at everything you do," Tina added.

"And besides, you've got yours with Sprout. We had ours with McGonagall," Fab said with a grimace. "And it was lovely, Professor," he added, changing it to a charming grin, once he'd noticed the professor in question standing next to him.

"Yes, Mr. Prewett, it was. But if you continue in your desires as we discussed, your Transfiguration work must improve. You and I both know that you are capable of far more than you are currently performing," the stern professor said.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied, suitably chastened.

"Though your performance in last week's Quidditch match was rather exemplary," she told him, with a pleased smile lurking about her mouth.

"Thank you, Professor. It was all for you, you know," he said, back to his normal self.

"I'm sure Miss Abernathy thinks otherwise," McGonagall said, leaving Fab to squawk uncomfortably after her.

"How did she know?" he gasped.

"You two were snogging in the common room. Half of the castle saw you," Marly pointed out.

"Not to mention Gloria Stein and Cathy Pearce running out in tears at the sight," Lottie added.

"Didn't you kiss Alfie Newman at the party?" Fab shot back at her. "While dating Andrew Sumter?"

"Andrew and I had already broken up. He just wasn't ready to believe it, until he saw Alfie and me," she answered primly.

"And now you're going to the next Hogsmeade weekend with Tristan Sorensen?" Danae asked in shock.

"Of course," Lottie grinned wickedly. "A girl's got to keep her options open."

My friends had successfully distracted me throughout the meal, but once breakfast was over, my nerves came flooding back, since it was time for my appointment with Professor Sprout. Gid offered to walk me to her office, but it would have made him late for Transfiguration, so I send him on his way. I trekked to the basement and knocked on the door. "Aw, Miss Evans," she said cheerfully. "Prompt, as per usual. Come in, come in, dear. Make yourself comfortable."

The office was exactly as I would have expected, cozy, cheery, and full of plants. I settled into a squashy chair and felt myself relax just the tiniest bit. "Now, Petunia, I've got your marks from all your teachers here, and I'm pleased to see that they are just as good as I expected. You're still in the top of your class, and you've gotten the very top marks in Herbology and Potions. Most every teacher has nothing but glowing praise for you. And this is all in addition to your Prefect duties. Oh, and don't think that I've missed your, ahem, secret activities. You, my dear, are a delight to teach, and an incredible credit to your House. I am quite proud of you."

Her praise settled down around me, filling me with a warm, fuzzy feeling. "Thank you! Thank you, so much!"

"I'm just stating the truth, my dear. Now, have you had a chance to look over any of the pamphlets about which careers you might be interested in?"

"I… Yes, I have," I said hesitantly.

Professor Sprout smiled knowingly. "But you're not sure which one is for you." I nodded emphatically, and she laughed a bit. "Oh, my dear, never to worry. You're young yet, and you've got your whole life ahead of you. And even once you've settled on one, there's nothing to say you can't change your mind. So I want you to just relax, and tell me what you like, what you might like to do, just in broad terms."

I thought about it for a moment. "Well," I started slowly, "I do like Herbology and Potions, though Herbology is my favorite." I blushed a bit, afraid she might think I was just buttering her up, but she just smiled and nodded. "Ancient Runes is interesting, but I don't think I really want to do anything with it. Charms and Transfiguration are always fascinating, and I love Care of Magical Creatures, but most of them would terrify me in a real world situation. But I don't know what I want to do with any of it. I just know I want to help people."

She nodded. "You are most definitely a helper. And there are many occupations that would allow you that opportunity. Healing, for one. Or you could work for an apothecary to grow all their herbs. Or, after a few years of experience, you could come back here to Hogwarts and teach. I've seen you tutoring some of the younger students, and I must say, you do have a way of explaining things to them."

I blushed again. "I just like to help."

"And you have a marvelous gift to do so," she told me sincerely. "Just as much as your gift with plants, which I haven't seen in years, by the way, you have a gift to see how to help people. And you follow through with that. Also, you seem to have a way with a quill. Every teacher says so. Your essays are always so well thought and concise. So that is something else to consider."

We talked for a while longer, with Professor Sprout handing me a pamphlet for nearly every option we discussed, then she said, "Well, Petunia, I do hope I've given you at least an idea of what you could do after you leave us. But remember, you do not need to decide this instant, and you can always change your mind down the road. Just keep up your work in all your classes, and you will be able to do anything you want."

"Thank you, Professor," I gushed. I was beaming as I left her office, even though Halkirk tried to flirt with me as I passed him. I didn't care. I finally realized that I didn't have to have my life planned out right this moment, and it was unbelievably freeing.

My friends found my new attitude amusing, and even I couldn't blame them. But it wasn't until Gid and I were studying that night in the library that he really understood. "I've just always felt this pressure to have my life organized and figured out, but Professor Sprout showed me that I don't. I'm only fifteen. I'll have plenty of time to figure out what I want to do later. Right now, I'm going to concentrate on my OWLS and having fun with my friends," I said with a relieved sigh.

"And your fabulous boyfriend," he reminded.

"Well, of course," I laughed. "What would I do without him?"

"Live a sad, boring existence," he proclaimed dramatically. Then, he frowned. "No, some other bloke would have been smart enough to scoop you up by now."

"You're the only bloke I want," I reminded. "I love you."

Gid's grin was radiant. "And I love you," he said, causing that little thrill to shoot up my spine, just like every other time he'd said it.

He kissed me, and every thought of homework flew out of my head. Until Madame Merryweather screeched. "This is a library, not a brothel! Out!" She caused our books and bags to chase us out of the library, though Gid was gentlemanly enough to shield me from them.

It took until the Entryway for the books to stop flapping. We gathered them with a laugh, then Gid grinned at me. "I told you I'd get you in trouble."

 **AN: I love Gideon. He really is adorable. Anywho, here's the next chapter for you lovelies! Thanks for reading, and a big thanks to those who've followed or favorited. And a HUGE thanks to Alicia Olivia Mirza, Reader AZ, Dragon of Selene, and Fudgecicles for their reviews. I love reviews even more than Gideon. Okay, maybe not, but almost!**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

A little more than a week before Easter holiday, Professor Sprout approached me at the Hufflepuff table during lunch. Gid had just told a joke, so I was still laughing a bit when I turned to answer her. "Yes, professor?"

But my smile fell when I saw her face. "I need you to come to the Headmaster's office with me, please, Petunia," she said softly.

Instantly I turned to the Gryffindor table and saw McGonagall talking to Lily. Dread filled me as I looked back to my teacher. "Of course, Professor," I said quietly, slipping out of my seat.

Lily and McGonagall joined us just as we made it to the doors. Lily looked as scared as I felt, and we reached for each other at the same time. It was a very long, silent walk to the Headmaster's office. Lily and I simply clung to each other and followed our Heads.

I'll never forget the way Professor Dumbledore looked as we stepped into his office. He seemed, for the first time, to really be old, as his eyes had lost their twinkle. "My dear Misses Evans," he began once we were seated. "I am so sorry to be the one to tell you this."

"Mummy's gone, isn't she?" Lily quietly asked the words on the tip of my tongue. "We knew it was coming."

"Your mother is fine, well, still sick, but relatively fine," he told us. "Unfortunately, your father was in an automobile accident on his way home from work yesterday. And… he didn't survive."

His words swirled around in my head, not making any sense. Daddy couldn't be gone. It had to be a mistake.

It wasn't until he replied that I realized I'd spoke aloud. "I'm not mistaken, Petunia," he said kindly, knowingly.

Lily started sobbing, and I clung to her in a numb sort of desperation. It couldn't be true. Not Daddy. He couldn't be gone. He just couldn't.

Dumbledore said something about a funeral, though that was the only word I comprehended. Both of our Heads said kind words, but I didn't understand any of them. "May I take Lily back to Gryffindor Tower?" I asked politely, unable to focus on anything else other than getting Lily somewhere comfortable, somewhere familiar.

"Of course," he said gently. "You both are excused from classes for the rest of the day."

"Thank you, sir." I led Lily down the winding staircase to find Gid and Alice waiting for us.

"What happened?" Alice cried when she saw us.

"Was it your mum?" Gid asked, wrapping his arms around me.

"No," I said dully. "It was Dad. He was in an accident."

"Oh, Pet," he breathed, kissing the top of my head.

I allowed him to hold me for a moment, squeezing my eyes closed against reality. But the bell ringing for classes had me pulling back. "You two should be getting to classes," I said, latching on to Lily once more. "I don't want to make either of you late."

"You've got to be joking, Pet," Gid told me. "I can miss one Transfiguration class to be with you when you need it."

"I'll be fine. Go on to class. We'll be up in Lily's room, and you can't come in there, anyway. You have a free period after, and we can talk then," I assured.

He looked doubtful, but gave me one more kiss and one to the top of Lily's head before heading to class. Alice gave us each a hug before heading to the dungeons for Potions. Then Lily and I made our way to Gryffindor Tower, though I never could remember how. The Fat Lady silently opened up for us, with the saddest smile I'd ever seen on a portrait.

I got Lily up the stairs to her dormitory, where she promptly fell onto her bed, dragging me with her. I simply held her while she sobbed, until she eventually cried herself to sleep. I didn't move, however. I just kept a firm hold of my baby sister, desperately trying not to feel anything.

Alice came up after her class, but Lily was still asleep, so I sent her away. She also brought news that Gid was waiting for me downstairs, but I had her tell him that I couldn't leave Lily. I then settled back into that numb, vaguely unconscious state, until my friends came to see me later that afternoon, bringing Alice back with them.

"We figured you'd be staying with Lily over the weekend, so here's some clothes for you," Lottie said, dropping a bag next to Lily's bed.

"And we know you, so we picked up the assignments you missed from Sprout and Flitwick," Marly added my bookbag to the pile, which I hadn't even realized I'd left at lunch.

"And we brought you two dinner, since we thought you might not want to face quite so many people yet," Tina said, propelling the basket she carried with Danae up onto the bed.

"I'm so sorry, girls," Danae told us, prompting more tears from Lily.

We ate, but only because the others all but forced us to do so. Then, after an hour of trying to cheer us up, they left us alone, after one final round of hugs. "Please tell Gid that I can't leave Lily right now," I whispered to Marly as she hugged me.

She nodded in understanding, giving me one last squeeze. And then they were gone, leaving us alone on Lily's bed. We two talked late into the night, trying to share every single memory we had of our father. But it wasn't until she was fast asleep that I finally let myself cry. I didn't have to be strong anymore, so I let the tears fall. But I had to be careful to not wake her up.

…

The next week seemed to go by in a haze. I went to classes and took notes, trying to be as diligent as ever. But the moment classes were out, I went straight back to Gryffindor Tower. Occasionally, Lily and I would be in the common room, but mostly we spent any free time in her room, curled up together on her bed with the curtains pulled to shut the world out. I even spent the night there, as Lily had an especially hard time at night, though I hardly got any sleep.

By Thursday, I felt rather like a zombie, barely functioning at all. In fact, I fell asleep for the tiniest of moments in Transfiguration, my head dropping from my hand waking me up. I quickly looked around, but no one else seemed to notice anything, so I thought I was safe.

Until the bell rang. "Miss Evans, might I have a word with you for a moment?" Professor McGonagall called out as we were all packing our bags.

My friends all offered to stay with me, but I waved them on. I'd been hearing Marly's stomach growling for most of the period, so I wasn't about to keep them from lunch. They reluctantly left with the rest of the class, and I made my way to the front of the room.

Professor McGonagall looked up, flicking her wand to shut the door behind Lottie. She set her wand down, settled into her chair more comfortably, then looked me square in the eye. "How are you doing, Petunia?"

I squirmed, knowing I'd been caught out. "I'm sorry I fell asleep, Professor, I just-"

She cut me off with a wave of her hand. "I don't care about that. You're my top student. I think it's safe to say that you could afford to sleep through several of my lessons, though I would ask that you refrain. No, I'm rather more worried about the problem than the symptom. Professor Sprout and I have been talking, and it seems that you have been spending your nights in Gryffindor Tower since last week."

I dropped my gaze. "Lily's been having problems at night, Professor," I explained.

"I can imagine. Losing a parent is incredibly hard," she said kindly. "And Professor Sprout and I have agreed that it can continue until the start of next term. But I am concerned."

"She'll be fine when we come back," I assured desperately, not wanting anyone to think less of my baby sister.

"It's not Lily I'm concerned for." The caring look in her eye confused me. I was doing fine, other than the lack of sleep bit. "Lily seems to be adjusting to her loss fairly healthfully. After all, she has you and all of her friends to turn to. But I can't help but notice that you seem to be pouring all of your efforts into your little sister. Petunia, have you even allowed yourself to grieve?"

I looked at her dumbfounded. "Of course, Professor," I said. "I've cried-"

"But only when Lily can't see you, I'm sure. I'm well aware of the need to protect younger siblings, especially in hard times. After all, I'm the oldest in my family, as well." That was an odd thought, one to be processed at a later time. "I know how it is to throw oneself into taking care of younger siblings and forgetting to take the time to allow oneself the opportunity to grieve properly. You must allow yourself the time needed to heal, even if Lily might need you at the time. You don't need to take it all on yourself. You cannot be everything for everyone around you."

"Does it ever heal?" I asked quietly, allowing myself to truly feel the crack in my heart for the first time.

Professor McGonagall smiled sadly. "Yes," she said, just as softly. "It does heal, but like any physical wound, it scars over, and you are never exactly the same again. There will come a day when your loss isn't the first thing you think of, and it's that much easier to move on. And then, out of the blue, some days the pain will hit you like a Bludger to the chest. But it will only prolong the healing process if you don't allow yourself to feel it now."

Tears had started trickling down my face at some point during her words, but I only became conscious of them then. "It just hurts, so much," I gasped, clutching my bag to me like a lifeline. "It doesn't seem real. Like I'll get a letter from him tomorrow, saying how excited he is that we're coming home for the holiday. Or that he'll be there at King's Cross on Saturday to pick us up. But he won't. He'll never pick us up again. And I'll never get to see him again. He won't get to be here for my graduation, or walk me down the aisle at my wedding, or hold any of my children. He'll never teach me how to drive, like he always promised. Or laugh at something funny that wizards do. Or take me to a football match. Or anything ever again. Because he's gone."

I sobbed the last part, and Professor McGonagall rushed around her desk to wrap me in her arms. "Oh, my poor girl," she whispered. "I know it hurts. Truly, I know. But it will get better, someday, I promise you that."

She held me as I sobbed my heart out, letting the pain I felt engulf me. But, slowly, I felt it lessening, easing just a bit. I sniffled, and Professor McGonagall conjured a handkerchief for me. "Now, remember, you have to let people help you through this," she reminded. "Let Lily help you, and your friends. And that young man of yours. I don't think I've seen him quite so despondent as I have this week. Let them help you."

"I will," I promised.

"Good, but later. For now, I want you to go back to your dormitory and sleep. I'll let your teachers know you're excused for the rest of the day," she assured, seeing my argument rising. "And I'll have the house elves send you something for lunch. Then I want you to sleep. It doesn't seem like it should be, but crying is exhausting. And you're already behind on your sleep."

"Thank you, Professor," I said, smiling just a little.

"You're quite welcome," she smiled back. "Now, get some rest."

I did as she said and woke just in time for dinner. And I did feel better. And I did try to let my friends help me, as hard as it was. But I could see that McGonagall was correct: my friends, Lily, especially, seemed to need to help me just as much as I needed to help them.

…

The trip to King's Cross was a solemn one. Gid held tight to my hand the entire time, and the rest of my friends seemed to huddle just a little closer. Then Lottie's mum picked Lily and me up, as well, taking us to the Leaky Cauldron to Floo home. Thankfully, she had arranged it with Mum so no one else was at our house when we popped out of the fireplace. None of us could have handled that explanation at the moment. Mum simply clutched the two of us to her the moment she saw us, and we all three cried together.

The funeral was the next day. A car took us to the church. The same tiny church that Mum and Dad had been married in, where Lily and I had both been christened in. It was the very same church that Lily and I had talked of marrying in someday, though I doubted either of us would want to, after that day.

The church was filled to the brim, as Dad had been well liked by nearly everyone who knew him. All his coworkers came, as did our neighbors. I spotted Professors Sprout and McGonagall in the crowd, blending in with the Muggle crowd well. And there was a large knot of teenagers, looking incredibly uncomfortable in their formal clothes, but distinctly determined to be there for us. Their support brought more tears to my eyes as Mum, Lily, and I were led to the very front pew.

The vicar said some very nice things about Dad, but I couldn't seem to concentrate on them. Instead, I couldn't seem to tear my focus from the gleaming coffin. It was beautiful, carved of dark wood, but it seemed a looming, hulking thing. But then, the man it bore had always seemed to be larger than life, so I supposed it was fitting.

The Lord's Prayer was then recited, and I'd never had such a hard time saying "Thy will be done" in my life. Then the chapel was emptied us as the vicar smiled kindly, inviting us three Evans women to the front where Daddy lay peacefully.

It wasn't the first time I'd seen someone dead, as both sets of my grandparents had passed before I'd started at Hogwarts. But I'd been so young then and couldn't really understand. I understood this time. Seeing him in his best black suit, looking so perfect, but so cold, broke me down. I sobbed, reaching for his hand to cling to as my knees gave out.

Mum and Lily cried next on either side of me for a long moment. Then, a warm, familiar hand on shoulder startled me, causing me to look up. I saw red hair, then blindly threw myself into Gid's arms. I found out later that Alice came for Lily, and Mum's closest friend, Emma, held her, but all I was aware of was the pain in my heart and Gid's arms around me.

"I love you," he whispered in my ear. "I love you, Pet. I'm here. I love you."

Eventually, we all managed to compose ourselves. "It's time, girls. We shouldn't keep everyone waiting," Mum said, brushing the tears from her cheeks with a forced smile.

Lily took a deep breath, then pressed a gently kiss to Dad's cheek. I followed, whispering, "I love you, Daddy," before backing up. Then it was Mum's turn.

"Oh, my darling, I miss you so much," she said, tears leaking out again. "I miss you. But I will take care of our girls for you. Wait for me, my love," she murmured, kissing him one last time.

Straightening up, Mum took my and Lily's hand, giving a nod to the undertaker. He solemnly stepped forward, then pushed the lid closed. The click of the lock sounded loudly in the quiet church, echoing deep in my heart. Then, slowly, surely, the pallbearers lifted the coffin and headed to the graveyard next to the church. The rest of us followed behind.

The vicar spoke again at the grave sight. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," he intoned, sprinkling a handful of dirt over the coffin. Mum was next, letting the dirt sift slowly through her fingers. And then it was my turn.

A deep breath in, then I scooped my hand in the mound of dirt. "Goodbye, Daddy," I whispered, opening my hand. I went back to stand next to Mum as Lily stepped up.

The stream of people after that seemed to be a faceless blur, with few exceptions. Our professors greeted us with hugs, then assured us that we did not need to complete any of the work assigned to the rest of our classmates. "Your girls are exemplary students, Mrs. Evans," Professor Sprout told Mum next.

"Yes, they are," Professor McGonagall agreed. "If every student were like the Evans girls, our jobs would be so much easier."

"That's very good to hear. And thank you so much for coming," Mum said, for probably the fiftieth time that day.

"Of course. There's no place we would rather be," Professor Sprout said warmly.

"Indeed, we are always available for our students," McGonagall added.

Severus was a few people behind the teachers, giving them dirty looks. But he thankfully managed to hold his tongue, simply giving Lily a hug and a somewhat respectful nod to Mum and me. He got pushed along by our neighbors behind him.

"Potter? What are you doing here?" Lily cried, causing me to turn to see her sometime nemesis and his friends just in front of her.

"We wanted to let you know we were thinking about you," he said nervously, shoving his hands in his pockets uncomfortably.

Even given the circumstances, I still had to smile. It was obvious he fancied Lily, though she would never see it.

"And we wanted you to know how sorry we are for you," Lupin added.

"Both of you," Black said, nodding to me.

"Thank you," I answered for Lily, since she was still gaping wordlessly at Potter. "That was really sweet of you to come."

"Come along, boys," a tiny silver-haired woman behind them said. "You've paid your respects, now let someone else have a turn."

"Oh, yes, sure, Mum," Potter said, then pushed the other boys out of the way. "So sorry for your loss, Mrs. Evans," the four of them chorused as they shuffled past Mum.

"So that's the one who picked on Lily?" Mum whispered to me, with the first smile on her face I'd seen since I'd been home.

"Yep, the one with the messy hair," I whispered back.

But before I had the chance to say anything else, I was engulfed in a warm hug that carried long red hair with it. "I'm so terribly sorry, my dear," Molly said, hugging me tightly, and squishing Charlie a bit in the process.

"Thank you," I whispered once she pulled back.

"Oh, you poor things," she cried, taking us all in her gaze. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

She and Mum ended up talking for quite awhile. Or rather, she ended up with Mum crying on her shoulder, but she didn't seem to mind. Arthur shook our hands solemnly, then fluttered around Molly, unsure of what he should do. And then our friends were right behind, swarming around us in a flurry of tears and hugs and assurances. And Gideon refused to let go of my hand for the rest of the day, even after we all reconvened at our house.

That was the most exhausting day of my life. I fell into bed, wanting nothing more than the soft comfort of sleep, but it evaded me. Instead, completely without my input, it seemed, my mind went over every happy memory I had with Dad. A warm little ball settled in my chest, loosening the tight knot of pain there just a bit. "Goodbye, Daddy," I whispered. "I love you."

 **AN: This one was hard to write, but I hope I did it justice. Thanks to all who followed/favorited, and a big thanks to imketys, The purple hippocampus, and guest for their reviews. They make my day!**


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Easter holidays passed by in a blur of tears and condolences. The night before we were to go back to school, Lily slipped into my bed, just like she had every night since we'd been home. We curled around each other, not saying anything, just there for one another. After several minutes of that, Lily said softly, "I'm worried about Mum. Being here alone."

"Me, too," I confessed. "But Emma said she'll check up on her every day, and get her to all her appointments. And you know that the Martins have always kept an eye on her. She'll be fine."

"But it's not the same," Lily countered. "We'll be at school, and we have each other, and all our friends with us all the time. But Mum will be here, all by herself, without Dad. And with all the reminders of him."

"I know, but what can we do? We have to go back to school."

"I know, I just wish it wasn't so far away," she sighed. "We'll just have to write loads of letters for her."

In the end, that was all we really could do.

…

The first morning of term brought several surprises with it. At breakfast, my friends were all trying to cheer me up, huddling around me to show their support. Even Nico ate at the Hufflepuff table, something he rarely did. But that wasn't even the biggest surprise.

As the mail owls flew in, a small herd flocked around me, vying for my attention. After the seventh one flew straight to me with a package tied to its leg, Lottie helped me untie them all. Some of the owls flew straight off, but a few of them nipped my fingers affectionately first. Once they all flew away, I was left with thirteen packages.

I stared at them, a bit astonished, since none of them had a sender listed. All simply stated "Petunia Evans, Hufflepuff Table, Hogwarts Castle". Each had a different handwriting, and none of the packages was the same shape or size. I had no idea what they all were, or where they came from.

"Don't just sit there, Pet," Marly said exasperatedly. "Open them!"

There wasn't anything else to do with them, so I did. I ripped open the first to find my favorite kind of sugar quills and a note that said simply, "I'm so sorry for your loss. Here's a little something to help bring back the smile that you've lost, the one you gave me during my own hard time."

Everyone was surprised, but then dived in to help me open them all. And package after package, there was a note along the same lines. I soon had the biggest box of fudge Honeydukes sold, a gorgeous locket with my initials on it, three packages of Bertie Botts, a new fluffy scarf in Hufflepuff colors, a copy of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, some wonderful smelling bubble bath, and more. A glance at Lily at her table showed she was similarly inundated.

"It would appear that your secret activities may not be so secret anymore," Professor Sprout said as she stopped by my place at the table. "But they are very much appreciated. These seem to be from just a few of the people you have helped."

Over the next several days, I received several more similar packages. Seeing how much I actually had helped those targets of our secret missions helped me get through my own grief, just a little bit. My friends helped, as well, especially Gid, since he had already lost both of his parents. He understood that I didn't want to hear meaningless platitudes or vain apologies. And somehow, he instinctively knew when I needed to be held or distracted.

About two weeks after start of term, I was finally beginning to get back to myself. Daddy's death wasn't the first thing I thought about upon waking up, and the ache had lessened just the tiniest bit. I was throwing myself into my schoolwork, trying to prepare for my OWLs as much as I possibly could. I had decided that the best way to honor Daddy's memory was to get at least Exceeds Expectations on everything. Well, maybe everything except History of Magic. It was the one subject that put even me to sleep, so I would be happy if I even passed that OWL.

It was a Saturday, and I was running late for a study date with Gid in the library. I'd forgotten my entire bag in the common room, so after breakfast, I ran back to get it, assuring him I wouldn't be long. As I was racing along the hallway by the kitchens, I nearly plowed into a small knot of Fourth Years, Slytherins and Ravenclaws. And when I realized just what was happening, my blood nearly boiled. "Petrificus Totallus!" The spell shot out of my lips and wand nearly without any thought, stunning the first of the three boys surrounding little Spencer on the ground. The other two, who looked like a Ravenclaw and Slytherin Fourth Years, turned to me in surprise. "Expelliarmus," fell from my lips, and four wands came flying to me. It was only because I'd helped Marly train so much that I was able to catch all of them.

"Hey, you can't do that!" the weedy looking Ravenclaw protested, but quailed when I glared more fully at him.

"You can't attack another student in the hallways, but it looks like that is exactly what just happened," I snapped. "And I am a Prefect, which means I have been tasked with keeping students safe. Are you alright, Spencer?"

The tiny blond nodded, picking himself up off the floor. "Can I have my wand back, Petunia?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, of course. Which one's yours?"

He picked his out of the bunch, then I moved the rest to my left hand. I then pointed my own wand at the Stunned Slytherin. "Ennervate. Now, you lot get to come with us to see Professor Sprout. Her office is closest, so let's go." None of Spencer's attackers moved. I smiled at them, but it wasn't a very nice smile. "The three of you just attacked a First Year. Now, if you want your wands back, I suggest you start walking."

The three shared a look, before the weedy one slowly started walking. "C'mon, Spence, you get to come with," I said cheerfully, though I was studying him fairly closely to make sure he wasn't truly hurt.

We made quick work of the walk to Professor Sprout's office. She let us in, but her eyebrows climbed up her forehead at the sight of all of us. "Merciful Merlin, what happened, Petunia?" she asked, looking to me in astonishment.

"I'll let Spencer tell you, since I only ended whatever had happened."

Professor Sprout nodded, turning to Spencer, who proceeded to tell his story, but not until she had forbidden the other boys to speak until he was finished. He'd been about to visit the kitchens for a late morning snack ("I am a growing boy, ma'am") when the other three came out of the kitchens. One of them had recognized him and started taunting him, since his father was a Muggle. The taunts had escalated into spells, though he admitted that he had thrown the first one ("I was just defending my dad!"), and it wasn't until he had fallen to the floor that I found them and stopped them.

The Professor had listened intently, only interrupting to ask for clarification. She then asked me if that was true, to which I nodded, saying that I had Stunned one and Disarmed them all. She nodded, then turned to the three boys. "Now, Messrs. Thompson, Griflet, and Aaronson, what might you have to say about all this?"

The three of them talked over one another, all about how they hadn't done anything, and Spencer was asking for it, and even one or two remarks about how the filthy Halfblood deserved it. Professor Sprout's eyebrows nearly flew from her face at that, but she otherwise remained impassive during the whole thing, letting them dig themselves further and further into trouble. But once she started speaking, they wisely shut up.

"It's rather apparent that none of you are even remotely apologetic, and in fact rather proud of attacking a First Year. As such, the three of you will attend detention with me every Saturday until the end of term. Fifty points will be taken from each of you in the hopes that it will deter you from any further acts of violence. The Headmaster will be informed of what happened today, as will your parents. Now, please wait for me in my classroom, where you will begin your first detention."

The three slunk out of the room, shooting all of us filthy looks. Then, as the door shut behind them, Professor Sprout turned to Spencer. "Now, I know they may have provoked you, Mr. Richards, but by your own admission, you did cast the first spell, and that is not acceptable, either. You will sit four detentions with me, starting Monday night. And I will have to take twenty-five points from you, as well."

"'M sorry, Professor," he mumbled. "I shouldn'a done that, but I just got so mad. They were talking about my dad!"

"I know, and your loyalty is to be commended," she told him gently. "But you need to learn to control that temper of yours, before it gets you into real trouble one of these days."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, head hanging.

Professor Sprout smiled. "Now, I want you to go to the Hospital Wing, have Madame Pomfrey check you over. Just to be on the safe side."

"Yes, ma'am," he said again.

After he left, my teacher turned to me. "Well done, Petunia. I'm impressed with your quick thinking, not to mention your ability to Disarm four others at once."

I blushed a bit. "I think it was because I was so upset," I confessed. "Seeing Spencer on the ground, surrounded by those oafs, I was just so angry. I doubt I could do that again, at least without the circumstances being similar."

Her smile turned a bit sad. "You'd be surprised at what you can do, given the circumstances. However, for your bravery and quick thinking, take twenty-five points for Hufflepuff."

I started, not expecting that at all. "I was just doing my duty as a prefect, ma'am."

"Be that as it may, not all prefects would have acted the way you did," she said seriously. Then, with a mischievous smile, she added, "And this way, Hufflepuff can recoup the points I had to take from Spencer."

I was still smiling from that when I finally made it to the library, where Gid and all our friends looked a bit worried. "What took you so long, Pet?" he asked, wrapping an arm around me as I slid into the chair next to him.

I told them all the story, to which they were a very receptive audience. "You are bloody amazing," Gid breathed once I was done. "I'm in love."

"So am I," Fab said, in a ridiculously breathy, high pitched tone. He fluttered his eyelashes at me. "It's so sad that our love will never be."

I threw a crumpled piece of parchment at his head. "That's because you're an idiot."

Later, as we headed to lunch, someone called out my name. I turned to see Anna Richards and a Fourth Year girl, clearly her younger sister as evidenced by the blonde hair, hurried to catch up to us. "I find myself having to thank you again for my little brother, Petunia," Anna said with a grin.

"Spence just told us you stopped some Fourth Years attacking him," her sister added. "Thanks for that."

"I think he's a bit in love with you now, to be honest," Anna laughed. "But anyways, just wanted to say thanks. And now we have to go find some Fourth Years to scare. Have a nice lunch!"

Watching them walk purposefully away, I shook my head. "I feel like I should probably stop them, but I can't find myself wanting to. But I should. I am a prefect, after all."

Gid laughed, tugging me toward the Great Hall. "What you don't know about, you can't stop. And besides, those gits deserve it. Now, that steak and kidneys smells fantastic, and I do believe that someone promised me a walk after lunch."

I laughed and allowed him to pull me to the Gryffindor table. And I only felt a tiny twinge of guilt.

 **AN: I am evil, I know. I haven't updated this story in four months, and I humbly apologize. But it was incredibly hard for me to write Petunia coming to terms with her dad's death. Losing a parent is terribly difficult, and everyone's journey past it is different, and I wasn't sure how Petunia was going to get through it. But hopefully I didn't lose any readers making you all wait so long. And I promise it will never take me that long ever again. That said, I want to thank you all for reading this. Thanks for the follows and favorites, and a huge thanks to teachergirl, The purple hippocampus, Ms. Lady Wolf, Jily71102, hpfananita, and .freak for the lovely reviews. They make writing a little more rewarding!**


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

The end of the year came upon us rather quickly that year. Ravenclaw somehow managed to narrowly beat Gryffindor in the final match, though with the points, Gryffindor still won the cup. Gid was torn between giddy elation at winning the cup his first year as captain and reluctant acceptance at losing the match. But the party in their common room after the match helped his mood, as did sneaking out to the Room of Requirement for a bit of snogging.

But Quidditch was only a temporary reprieve for us Fifth Years. Monday brought back the reminder that OWLs were just around the corner, and our teachers were determined that we all pass them. They all gave us loads of revision, in addition to what we each thought we needed to brush up on. Many students visited the hospital wing for nerves, the majority being from Ravenclaw.

"They are the ones who are far too concerned with book learning," Danae told us the morning of our Charms exams. "Like Marigold Harper. She thinks, for some stupid reason, that she has to get no less than an E on every exam, and she's taking eight classes! Of course she needs something for her nerves," she added, calmly spreading jam on her toast.

"You could be a bit more concerned with your marks," Evander suggested, from underneath his load of books he was carrying to the Gryffindor table. "Mum will never forgive you if you don't manage at least four passing marks."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll pass," she said breezily. "I'm actually rather good at most subjects. I just happen to not want to be in class most days."

Her brother shook his head as he passed her to bury himself in revision. "One might think he was the Ravenclaw out of the two of you," Marly joked, allowing herself to be distracted for a brief moment from her notes.

Danae laughed. "No, he's just got rather a lot to live up to. He wants to beat Brontes, get better marks in everything, so he's pushing himself dreadfully. And me, well, I already know I want to study with Madame Dernier once I graduate. She's one of the most celebrated artists in France, and my cousin Appoline has promised to introduce me. And Mum promised me that if I graduate from Hogwarts with at least Acceptable marks in four subjects, she'll pay for me to go."

"Ugh, I wish I had your vision on what I want to do with my life," Lottie moaned, dropping her head to her Charms notes with a thunk. " I have no idea what I'm going to do after Hogwarts. Some days, I almost want to throw away my wand and live as a Muggle."

"It takes far too long to do makeup the Muggle way," I pointed out. I then grinned as my tea cup did a complicated tap dance in response to my nonverbal spell.

"I hate you," Marly told me without heat. "And yes, you wouldn't be able to live without magic, Lottie. You'd have to actually varnish your nails, and we all know how terrible you are at that."

This soon devolved into a discussion about makeup, which way would be better. It took the rest of breakfast, and before we knew it, the rest of the years were filling out of the Great Hall. "You'll be brilliant," Gid promised me, kissing me quickly on his way out and helping quell the sudden nervousness that attacked me.

When I looked back on OWLs, I never could really remember them very clearly. I remembered a blur of test questions and wand waving, translating runes and measuring ingredients, pruning plants and plotting stars, but nothing in detail. I couldn't have said what questions I answered, or what potions I made, or what plants I worked on. It was simply a two week blur of moving from one exam to another in a rather anxious state.

But, oh, was I excited when they were done! After the last one, we Hufflepuffs sort of collapsed on the couches in the common room. "If I never have to take another exam again, it would be too soon," Marly sighed, too exhausted to pick her head up from the couch cushion it had fallen onto.

"I don't think I can write another word," I moaned, flexing my poor, tired fingers.

Silence reigned for a long moment, before Tina suddenly jumped up. "I'm burning all of my notes," she declared, heading toward our room.

"I'm in!" Lottie exclaimed, following her.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Thomas Reddington, one of the boys in our year, added.

Somehow, the idea to invite the other Houses spread, and soon enough, everyone in our year was gathered outside by the Black Lake. All the Houses were united, in that one moment, in our joy at being done with OWLs. Tina did, indeed, burn her notes, but only after I had convinced her to let me copy them all first. Lottie burned the notes Davey Gudgeon had given her. Marly threw an old jumper that had developed a hole during her Herbology practical into the fire. Nic had letters from his mother. Danae happily added her Potions textbook to the inferno. And I threw in every one of the old quills I could find in our room. A cheer rang throughout the room as each item was added to the pile.

"What in the name of all that is magical is going on in here?" Professor Sprout cried, scaring all of us.

Somehow, I got pushed to the front of the crowd, nominated to explain. "Well, you see, Professor, we decided," I began hesitantly, trying to come up with something that didn't sound utterly mad. "We decided that we needed to unwind a bit after our exams, so we each burned something that represented our exams and the work we did for them."

Professor Sprout was quiet for a moment, looking at each of us and the raging fire in front of us. "I think that's a splendid idea," she declared. "And I shall join you." With that, she whipped her old, patchy gloves from her pocket and threw them in the fire. A delighted cheer erupted in approval of her actions.

When the year was finally over, it was greeted with much relief, at least for some of us. "We're going to be Seventh Years, mates," Max said to Gid and Fab on the train. He seemed terribly concerned.

"That's usually what comes after Sixth Year," Marly retorted dryly.

"That means we have to take our NEWTs in a year," he continued, rather like his sister hadn't even said anything. Though that wasn't terribly unusual for the two of them.

Fab looked amused, a smirk dancing across his face. "I think you'll be just fine, Max. After all, didn't you get the fourth highest score on your OWLs in the Year?"

Max looked relieved. Until Gid added, "Of course, that was before you got hit in the head by Bludgers five times in two weeks. Or was it six?"

"Four times by the Bludger, twice by a Quaffle," Marly gleefully corrected. "I'm sure that's done something to affect your brain."

We were still laughing about his horrified reaction when an irate Lily came marching into our compartment, trailed by a sopping Severus and an amused Alice, though she was trying to hide it. "You've run into Potter and his friends, haven't you," I sighed, sending a warming charm at the boy.

"He started mocking Severus again!" Lily cried. "Saying things about his family that he had no right to!"

After a few moments, and rather a lot more raging from Lily, the whole story came out. Severus had actually started it, winding Black up about his family, and Potter had retaliated. Lily had only come in as Potter started in on Severus, as she had gone to find the trolley lady. She looked a bit sorry once she learned the whole of it, but stubbornly refused to budge. "Potter still shouldn't have said that about Sev's mother. He deserved what he got. I hope it takes him hours to get unwound," she sniffed haughtily.

"What do you mean?" I asked, a bit concerned.

"I used ferula," she said proudly, a huge grin plastered to her face.

"And Potter looked like a mummy!" Alice added gleefully.

Gid pretended to shudder. "Your sister scares me a bit, Pet."

I grinned at him. "Just remember where she learned it all."

Fab and Max utterly howled at the sudden ashen look to take over Gid's face. "I am never going to upset you," he promised me.

"Always a good idea," I said, kissing him quickly.

Mum's friend, Emma, was waiting for us at the station. She gave us all effusive hugs, or rather, tried. Severus merely scowled at her when she tried, and she merely moved on to Lily. "Your mum is terribly excited to see you!" she gushed.

"Then why isn't she the one here?" Severus asked, lowly enough for Lily not to hear.

I had never before wanted to hit another human being so much in my life. But Nic beat me to the punch, literally. He wrapped his arm around the much scrawnier boy's neck, ignoring his squirming attempts to get away, and whispered into his ear. After a moment, the two Slytherins parted, one paler and scowling more than usual, the other with a dark amusement glittering in his eyes. "Promise, Severus," Nic said cheerfully.

Somehow, they had managed to avoid garnering the others' attention as everyone around us said their goodbyes. "Love you, Pet. See you Thursday?" Gid asked hopefully.

"I'll be there," I promised. "After all, I can't wait to see how much Bill and Charlie have grown," I added mischievously, enjoying the delighted twinkle hiding behind his faked hurt.

"Honestly, Gid, if you hadn't already swept this one off the market, I would be in love with her myself," Fab said, pressing a loud, ridiculous kiss to my cheek.

I pushed him off me as I shot back, "You wouldn't know what to do with yourself with a steady girlfriend."

"She's got you there, mate," Max laughed. "And there's Mum. Got to go. See you next week, yeah?" He even helped Marly pull her trunk in an unexpected helpful gesture.

Arthur found Gid and Fab next, with a quick hello to the rest of us. "Charlie's teething, so Molly couldn't come," he apologized. "And Billy's been upset with all the attention he's not getting. Things have been a bit crazy at home," he sighed.

"Not to worry, Arthur, their favorite uncle is on his way!" Gid joked, kissing me once more quickly.

"And Gid," was Fab's rejoinder.

Nic slipped away then, trying to avoid his mother seeing him with us. And we found Lottie's mum while trying to find Alice's. Soon enough, we managed to pile three trunks, two pet cages, and three teenagers into Emma's car. The ride home was long, but she listened intently to all of our stories. Severus tried to stop us, saying "She's a Mu- you-know-what," but I just smirked.

"Emma knows all about magic. Mum told her the day after Professor Dumbledore came to visit us. And since we weren't the ones telling her, we can't get into trouble for breaking the Statute of Secrecy." I'll admit that I found his dumbfounded expression that followed a touch too entertaining.

Thankfully, Emma dropped Severus at his house before taking us home. That meant we were able to greet Mum properly, without him whinging in the background. She fussed over us both, hugging and kissing us many times. "Oh, you girls have grown so much! I've missed you so! But now you're here, and it's time to celebrate." And she insisted on cooking dinner, saying, "I've done nothing all day just so I could do this. Now, you two sit there at the table and tell me everything you've forgotten to share in your letters."

…

That summer was rather different from our previous ones. For one thing, Lily and I discovered that Mum and Molly had become good friends, exchanging letters over the last term. So, quite often, Molly would bring all four boys to Cokeworth, to the delight of us all. Bill and Charlie loved having somewhere new to go, and Gid and I loved spending more time together. Molly would then banish all but Mum from the kitchen, where they would spend hours laughing as she cooked many delicious dishes. And, much to Gid and Fab's dismay, she and Mum joined forces to get us to do our summer school work. "If you get it done first thing, you won't have to worry about it the rest of the summer and will have more time to work on your Quidditch plans," Mum encouraged Gid. Somehow, he had never thought of it like that, and so got all of his work done in three weeks.

With so much of our time being spent at our house, the rest of our friends often joined us. "Is this what it's like to have a big family?" Mum laughed, looking at the twelve teenagers spread out across her lounge.

"You could adopt me, I wouldn't mind," Nic quipped with a cheeky grin. One that almost hid the truth in his words.

"And for that, you get an extra biscuit," Mum told him, with a sad grin of her own.

Mum had her good days, and her bad days, though she tried to hide them from me and Lily. It didn't work, but she tried. And somehow, Molly always knew when she would have a really bad day and shoo us all to the park, or the cinema, or the library. "She'll be alright in a few hours," she promised me the first time it happened. "She just needs a nap."

I later found out that Molly had been giving her potions to help, both for pain and strength. She technically wasn't supposed to, since Mum was a Muggle, but I didn't care. I just gave her an extra long hug and played with her boys, giving her the break that she so desperately deserved.

…

Many hours that summer were spent with my head resting in Gid's lap. I would read, or nap, occasionally, while he worked long and hard on his plans for the Gryffindor team. And then, once Marly was awarded the Hufflepuff captaincy, they amicably argued tactics for hours. "Though it doesn't really matter what plans we make now, since we have to wait to see what we get with our new teams," Marly said reasonably.

"Yes, we'll need almost a new team," Gid despaired. "Only Fab and Max will be left."

"I'm starting completely fresh," Marly confessed. "I'll probably keep Kirkpatrick, since he's actually a decent flyer, but Montgomery will have to go. Unless I can't find anyone better. Though I think Pet could outfly him."

"Well, as I've not gotten on a broom since our lessons in First Year, that would most definitely not be true," I laughed.

Fab joined in then with, "And you still won't let Gid take you up. Don't you trust your boyfriend of- How many years is it now?"

"Nearly three," Gid pronounced proudly.

"And it's not that I don't trust him, I just don't trust the broom. Or the distance it gets off the nice, solid ground," I added with a grin.

 **AN: I'm so sorry! I know it's been forever since I last updated, and I'm terribly sorry! I've been in a rather large slump when it comes to writing, and then I had a brilliant idea for a scene and started to write it. Then I realized I'd forgotten about OWLs and there went all excitement. I'm so sorry. I will try to be better, though I keep saying that. But thanks for reading, especially for those of you who followed and favorited. A big thanks to Nanchih, Ms. Lady Wolf, and guest for your reviews, and a huge thanks to JamesTKent for not only reviewing, but PMing me to make sure I hadn't given up on this one. James, thank you for all of your encouragement for so many of my stories!**


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

"And now, Miss Evans, which classes would you be interested in continuing with this year?" It was the first day of Sixth Year, and Professor Sprout was creating our timetables for the year. "As you passed all of your OWLs with an E or higher, you can continue in all the ones you took last year, if you would like. And on a private note, you had the absolute highest marks of the year for Herbology, and I couldn't be prouder," she beamed down at me.

I was a bit stunned. I knew that I'd gotten an Outstanding, but to have the highest marks of the year? "Um, I, uh-" I stuttered a bit, still thrown. "I think I'll continue with Herbology, of course, and um, and Potions, Defense, Charms, Transfiguration, and Ancient Runes."

"Not Arithmancy?" Professor Sprout asked, eyebrows raised curiously.

"It's not my favorite subject," I answered quietly, avoiding eye contact for a moment.

She smiled at me. "I understand completely. Professor Marston may be a bit disappointed, but he'll have to make do without you. And if that's everything, here's your timetable." She handed me the parchment, then headed off to the Seventh Years at the end of the table.

"No one else is taking Potions with me, are you?" I asked my friends, eyeing my timetable with Potions as my first class of the day.

"Sorry, Pet, but I'm fairly certain Professor Slughorn would faint if he had to see me in his class again," Lottie replied.

"Only because you managed to turn every discussion into one about Amortentia," Marly snorted.

"Though the three different cauldrons she's melted throughout the years might have affected his mild fear of her," Nic added, coming to sit next to me to look at my schedule. "Ah, thank you for continuing in Potions, Pet. I was afraid I might have to be stuck with Elena Zabini for a partner."

"Careful, she might eat you up," I joked.

"She tried to catch me on the train yesterday," he shuddered. "It wasn't pretty."

Before too long, we made our way down to the Potions dungeon, where Professor Slughorn was happily waiting for us. "Two of my favorite students!" he boomed, belly jiggling as he hurried toward our usual table. "I'm so glad you've both decided to continue studying the subtle magic that encompasses all we do down here. Now, Miss Evans, you've somehow managed to miss all of my previous little gatherings, but I won't let you wiggle out of any more. You can't possibly have anything planned for this coming weekend yet, do you?"

Professor Slughorn had me backed into a corner, and, even though I threw a "help me" sort of look Nic's way, my friend simply smirked. "Um, no, Professor, not that I know of," I finally said.

"Splendid!" he exclaimed, patting my back in excitement. "I'll send the invitations out this afternoon. And do make sure you bring your sister, yes? She's every bit as talented as you, I do believe!"

"I can't believe you abandoned me like that!" I hissed at Nic as we settled into our seats.

"I've gone to every one of his parties since Third Year," he said, terribly unconcerned. "It's about time you attended one. And besides, they're not that bad. There's always some fascinating people to meet. And he keeps telling me that Dominic Martin has promised to come to one of them this year, so if it means I get to meet him, I will gladly suffer through just about anything to do so."

"I suppose I can suffer through one of them, if you and Lily are there for me," I sighed. "Though I can't say I'm terribly excited about it."

"You'll live," Nic assured with a grin. "And who knows who you'll meet there?"

…

Unfortunately, Saturday came around without an excuse to get out of Slughorn's party. I wasn't even sure why I didn't want to go, other than perhaps how exclusive he was with his invitations. But I was determined to not think about it until absolutely necessary and enjoy my morning. Which is why I was at the Quidditch pitch with Lily and Alice, watching as Gid ran the tryouts for his new team.

"Excuse me, but you're a Hufflepuff," a voice said to my left. I turned to see a burly boy, probably a Fourth Year, looking at me. "You can't be here while we try out. I'm sorry, but we can't have you stealing all our secrets, now can we?"

I couldn't help the little chuckle that burst out. "I'm dating the captain of your team. I think it's alright if I'm here."

"And it's not like Gid didn't write all the plays with her right next to him," Alice chimed in.

"Or in his lap," Lily added, giving me a cheeky grin.

"But aren't you friends with the Hufflepuff captain?" the boy demanded. "You can't be friends with her and date our captain!"

"Gid and Marly helped each other make the plays," I replied slowly, torn between confusion and amusement at his intensity.

"But… how?" The poor boy was so upset. "Hufflepuff will know all our plays! They could use our own strategies against us!"

"Well, they were all hypothetical plays, since neither captain knew who would make the team," I explained carefully. "So neither one will know exactly what the other has planned."

The boy wandered off, muttering to himself about secrecy and spies. "What in Merlin's name was that?" I asked the other girls.

"That's Wood," Alice grinned at me. "He's a bit… intense when it comes to Quidditch."

Lily shook her head. "He's mad for it. I'm surprised you haven't seen him hanging around the team for the victory parties. He's always encouraging them, giving tips. I've seen him talking with Gid about strategy in the common room. He'd probably make a good Captain after this year, if he makes the team."

"I think he might do something drastic if he doesn't make the team this year," Alice said. "He wants to be a Beater, but with Johnson and Abernathy being such a good team for so long, he knew he didn't really have a chance. Now that they're gone, though, he should make it. And I heard that Black is trying out for Beater, too. And Potter is trying for Chaser," she added teasingly, grinning at Lily.

Who instantly went stony. "That's the last thing we need, for Potter and Black to make the Quidditch team and think they're even better than before. Good heavens, I'll be surprised if Potter can even get off the ground, his head's so big." She glared at the pitch in disgust.

Alice and I shared an amused look, but had to break it off before either of us started laughing. Lily's hatred of Potter had only grown over the summer, after he sent her letters every week or so asking her on dates. And then he proceeded to ask her out again on the train, and nearly every day since. Every time, she answered with an emphatic "NO, you arrogant toe rag!" or something along those lines. It was always entertaining. "Well, that explains why their friends are over there," I said, nodding to where Lupin and Pettigrew were sitting, several yards away from us.

"Alright, wish me luck, love." Gid flew up to our seats and was hovering in front of us. "I'm going to need it to put together a decent team."

I kissed him quickly. "You'll do brilliantly," I promised. "And it looks as though you've got quite a turn out."

"Yes, that's almost worse than having too few," he sighed. "But I'd better get this started."

"I love you," I told him, kissing him once more.

"Gid! Quit snogging your bird and get this tryout started!" Fab bellowed from the pitch. Gid made a rather rude gesture back, kissed me once more to spite his brother, then flew back down.

"You two have to be the most romantic couple this school has ever seen," Alice sighed. I turned back to see both girls with wistful, adoring looks on their faces. "I hope I find someone like you've found Gid."

I laughed lightly, trying, and failing, to fight the blush that Gid and Fab had caused to flame on my face. "You've got time, I promise. You might not find someone as quickly as I did with Gid, but you'll find someone, both of you. And I'm fairly certain a particular Mr. Longbottom was pining after you this morning at breakfast, Alice."

It was her turn to blush. "Are you sure? I mean, he's so dishy, but he's so much older than me. He can't possibly have noticed me like that."

As Lily and I hurried to assure her that two years wasn't too much of an age gap and that Frank really had been staring at her, Gid began his tryout by having all the possibles fly around the pitch. He was able to eliminate about half the group before Alice and I turned on Lily. "And just who has caught your eye?" I asked her with a knowing grin.

"You mean, besides Evander Fawley," Alice teased. Down on the pitch, Gid was now testing Keepers against him and Fab. He'd said it wasn't fair to keep his best mate on without trying out, and Max had agreed with easy grace.

"Oh, I think I'll always fancy Evander, just the tiniest bit," Lily confessed with a giggle. "He's just so handsome, and he's witty and kind and always willing to help others, and-"

"Alright, already, we get it," Alice laughed. "But we meant anyone still here at Hogwarts."

"Adrian Turner in Ravenclaw is rather dishy," she answered easily. Max was announced as the Keeper again, just as everyone had predicted. There were a few brave souls that argued against his appointment, but between Gid and Fab, they were able to shut them down before starting on the Chasers.

"Your Potions partner?" Alice asked, aghast.

"What's wrong with Adrian Turner?" I questioned, feeling a bit out of the loop, since I wasn't in their Year or even House.

"Nothing, I just thought Lily didn't like him," Alice answered. "After all, he's been a bit bossy in our lessons, and Lily's complained about him after each one."

"I just said he was dishy," Lily defended, while James Potter managed to save the Quaffle that Max had just knocked away and make a goal with it. I thought I may have heard Lily growl at that.

"Well, you can't like a bloke simply because he's dishy," I told her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders. "You've got to find one with substance, one who'll treat you right." After a pause, where Potter made another goal, and Lily definitely growled this time, I asked tentatively, "What about Severus?" I hid my crossed fingers in my sleeves.

"Sev?" she asked, looking to me with a wrinkled nose. "He's my best friend, along with you two. I could never like him." She then said a few words Mum would have been upset at her for, as Potter completed a complicated pass with Gid and Fab, tricking Max into leaving his left hoop open for them to score. As my boyfriend gave Potter a congratulatory pat on the back, it was rather obvious that Potter was the newest Chaser for Gryffindor, even though there was still half the Chasers to tryout. "I hate him so much," Lily added, with more growl than actual speech.

"Severus?" Alice teased. She had been just as anxious for Lily's answer as I had been, and now we were both terribly relieved.

"What? No, Potter," she spat. "I hate Potter."

"We know, Lils. Believe me, we know," I told her with a grin.

After nearly an hour more of the tryout, Gid announced his new line up. "Max McKinnon will be our Keeper, with Tristan Grace as reserve. James Potter is our new Chaser, with Morgan Abbot and Talia Marks as reserve. And Eoin Wood and Sirius Black are our Beaters, with Steven Allen as reserve. New members, welcome to the team. I'll let you know when our first practice is. To everyone else, thank you for coming out, and I hope you'll continue to support your team as you have in the past."

Everyone trailed off the pitch at that, though some were dramatically more pleased than others. Just as the girls and I made it down the stairs to where Gid was waiting for me, we heard a piercing "Evans!"

Both Lily and I turned to see James Potter come prancing over to us, his friends trailing behind. "Evans, did you come to watch me try out?" he asked cockily.

Oh, good heavens, the boy really is just as arrogant as Lily always said, ran quickly through my mind, just as she pulled back to look at him like something she'd stepped in. "Why on earth would I come watch you, Potter? I was here to support Gideon, my sister's boyfriend."

I'd never heard her speaking with such loathing before, but it did make sense. After all, this was the boy who'd tormented both her and her best friend for over a year. And, if reports were to be believed, he still bullied Severus, though Severus was just as guilty.

"Are you sure that's the only reason?" Potter asked, eyes twinkling with mischief.

"The only time you're the reason I do something is when I leave," she retorted, grabbing Alice's hand. "Which I'm doing now. C'mon, Alice." She pulled her friend by the hand, her long hair swishing with every angry stomp she took.

"Do you ever get the feeling she might not like you, mate?" Black asked cheerily.

"She loves me," Potter said dreamily, never taking his eyes off my sister.

I coughed, trying to disguise my laughter, but Gid did no such thing. "Mate, I'm glad you're dedicated, but I think your dedication should be reserved for the Quidditch Pitch," he said, once he could speak again. "You'd have a better chance getting Filch to agree to a date than Lily."

"But I'm sure Filch looks lovely in a dress," I added with a grin. "But a word of advice about Lily, speaking as her sister, the more you push, the more she'll push back. She's stubborn that way."

"So you're saying I should keep asking her out?" Potter asked, a manic gleam taking over his face. "Fantastic! She's bound to say yes one of these days!" Then he scampered off, presumably after Lily, before I could correct him.

"Sorry about my friend. He's a bit…" Lupin trailed off.

"Barmy," Black supplied cheerfully. "He's utterly barmy. But he's harmless, usually. And he truly does fancy Evans, err, the other Evans."

"Well, I'm glad it's not this Evans, 'cause she's taken," Gid quipped, wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

"And it looks like I'm all yours until dinnertime, since Lily abandoned me," I smiled up at him.

"That, lads, is something you should never ignore from a pretty girl," he told the younger boys. "Ever."

We left the three boys and headed to the changing rooms. I waited outside while Gid changed from his Quidditch kit to his robes, then we headed to the Room of Requirement for a few hours. After all, it was still the first week of classes. We didn't have that much assigned yet.

Gid teased me the entire way to Professor Slughorn's office, all about how I was such a good girl. "I still have yet to get you in trouble. But don't you worry. It'll happen before the year's up," he assured with a grin.

"I'm not that kind of girl, Mr. Prewett," I retorted, a teasingly serious look on my face. "After all, I'm a Prefect. I have to be an example for younger students to look up to."

He nodded, equally as mockingly serious. "Exactly. Which is why you need to occasionally break a rule or two to help them learn how to have fun."

We were still laughing when we got to the party. "Aw, Mr. Prewett, I see you've brought Miss Evans with you," the Professor boomed, belly jiggling with his enthusiasm. "Splendid, splendid! Come join the festivities!"

"Actually, sir, I've only escorted Petunia here. I didn't receive an invitation," Gid said, now looking distinctly anxious to leave.

"Not receive- Nonsense! I know I sent you one, you and your brother. Well, there's nothing for it. You're here now, so do come in. I've just received an owl this morning confirming Dai Llewellyn will be coming tonight. I'm sure you'll be pleased to meet him, yes?"

I thought Gid was going to faint out of shear happiness. "You're joking, sir," he breathed.

"Of course not, Dai's an old student of mine, always happy to come meet perspective new recruits," Slughorn laughed. "He'll be here soon, so if you wanted to go back to Gryffindor Tower and get your brother, I think you'll have time."

"I'll be right back. Fab would kill me if I didn't get him," Gid said, barely pausing to kiss my cheek before racing out the room.

"Now, Miss Evans, there's someone you simply have to meet," Slughorn said, steering me further into the room. "Barnabas Cuffe is one of the Daily Prophet's best journalists, and I hear he's on the short list to become the next editor-in-chief."

"It's all thanks to your help, Professor," a tall, middle aged man said as he walked our way. "We both know I never could have done it without your connections."

"Ah, Barnabas, you old flatterer. You would have made it one way or another," my teacher said, though he was clearly thrilled with the acknowledgement. "And here is Miss Petunia Evans, one of my brightest students today. She's one of my best Potions students, and her essays are an absolute joy to read. I think she would make a very good addition to your publication, Barnabas."

I froze a bit, utterly surprised by the turn of events. I had no idea that he'd intended to introduce me to someone for what nearly amounted to a job interview. "Well, if you're as good as old Sluggy says, I'd love to read something from you," Mr. Cuffe told me genially.

"I'm only a Sixth Year, so I've still got two more years here at Hogwarts," I demurred.

"It's never too early to think about your future," Professor Slughorn laughed easily.

"My offer stands, regardless of the time," Mr. Cuffe said. "We're always looking for new talent."

After a few minutes, in which Slughorn and Cuffe spoke of people I'd never heard of, I finally managed to escape. "You looked a bit desperate there, Pet," Nic said, handing me a drink.

"I hadn't realized that Slughorn's parties were pre-job interviews," I muttered, taking a long drink of the pumpkin juice.

Nic laughed. "Of course, they are! Slughorn is all about connections. He likes to be the power behind the throne, so to speak, and what better way than to introduce new talent to those he's already placed? But I have to do this, if I'm to get anywhere away from my family."

That worried me. I'd known that his family wasn't the best, that they didn't really accept him, but get away from them? "What do you mean, Nic?"

He opened his mouth to answer, then seemed to think better of it. "We've got patrol tomorrow, so we'll talk then. But for now, eat good food and enjoy meeting famous people. You never know how much it might help you."

Gid joined us then, with Lily and Fab, as well. The five of us managed to have a good time, joking with one another and eating ridiculously fancy snacks. And Gid and Fab both nearly cried with happiness when Dai Llewellyn arrived, fairly tripping over their words in praise of his skills. Until the young Quidditch player started to flirt with me. Then they couldn't move fast enough to get away from him.

 **AN: I know it's been forever since the last update, but I was a bit busy with NaNoWriMo. You'll be pleased to read, hopefully, that I just worked on getting the word count for all of my WIPs. So, over the month of December, I'll be posting the chapters I wrote during NaNo. And never fear, I won't give up on Petunia. She's stuck in my head far too much for that. Thanks for reading, especially to those of you who follow and favorite, and a huge shout out to Sakura Lisel, Guest, midnight-flurry, and Book85 for your lovely reviews. And midnight-flurry, sorry I broke your heart with Mr. Evans's death. If it makes you feel any better, it broke my heart to write it!**


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